HEJSupport, together with 41 other civil society organisations, has co-signed a joint letter to the European Commission calling for strong commitments on chemical transparency and traceability in products. The letter was sent by ECOS to the President of the European Commission, several Commissioners, and the current Council Presidency.
The signatories underline that Europe’s transition to a circular economy—and the competitiveness of European businesses—depends on ensuring that substances of concern are tracked throughout the value chain. Without robust information on chemical content, recyclers, remanufacturers, water service providers, and consumers are left in the dark, undermining both sustainability and health protection.
The letter emphasizes:
- Transparency is essential for circularity: Delays in regulation on reporting on hazardous chemicals reward laggards while penalizing frontrunners that have already invested in safer products and better traceability.
- Protecting health and ecosystems: Hazardous substances in products and waste streams pose risks ranging from water pollution and unsafe sludge recycling to severe health impacts, including infertility, impaired brain development, and hormone-related cancers.
- Global alignment: International initiatives such as the Global Framework on Chemicals and the Plastics Treaty negotiations also highlight chemical transparency and traceability as key to safe material cycles.
- Recyclers and waste handlers must have more visibility and knowledge about how to best process the materials they receive. The presence of hazardous chemicals in reused and recycled content can therefore hamper the viability and safety of recyclates, and extend the presence of these substances in material cycles.
- Polluter-pays principle: Producers should carry responsibility for removing contaminants that hinder safe recycling and reuse.
HEJSupport strongly supports these calls. A clean and toxic-free circular economy is only possible if hazardous chemicals are phased out and transparency and traceability tools are strengthened — not weakened. Citizens have the right to know what is in the products they buy, and future recyclers need access to accurate information to keep harmful substances out of material cycles.
The European Union now has a crucial opportunity to lead by example through the upcoming Environmental Omnibus and Circular Economy Act. We urge EU policymakers to ensure that traceability and transparency of substances of concern in products remain at the heart of Europe’s circular economy transition.
