GREEN CHEMISTRY IN ACTION: HOW TO MAKE CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFE

 

 

 

 

 

On October 1, 2025, the webinar “Safe Chemicals for Consumer Products: From Principles to Practice” was held, organized by the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre in partnership with the Yale Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering (USA) within the framework of the UNIDO Global GreenChem Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

👉 Safe chemicals are not only about environmental protection — they are about consumer health, regulatory compliance, and business competitiveness. These were the key topics of the webinar.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Why the topic of safe chemicals is critical for the consumer goods market
   It was demonstrated that chemical safety is directly linked to consumer health, corporate responsibility, and global competitiveness.

2. Principles of green chemistry in designing safer substances
   Participants learned how to distinguish between “less hazardous” and truly safe chemicals and reviewed examples of harmful impacts caused by PFAS, phthalates, and bisphenol A.

3. Principles of developing safer chemicals
   Detailed analysis was provided on toxicological and environmental criteria that reduce risks to people and the environment.

4. Design tools and assessment methodologies
   Special attention was given to life cycle assessment (LCA) and digital platforms for predicting toxicity and functionality of substances.

5. Examples of application in consumer products
   Case studies were presented from household chemicals, cosmetics, packaging, textiles, and electronics. Both successful substitutions of hazardous substances and unsuccessful attempts that resulted in new risks were discussed.

6. Main barriers and new trends
   Participants discussed the challenges of implementing safer chemicals in industry, as well as new approaches such as green-by-design, bio-based resources, and digital tools for property modeling.

Results
The webinar highlighted that safe chemicals are not only about environmental protection but also about consumer health, business responsibility, legal compliance, and competitiveness in the global market. Safe substances for consumer products are no longer a trend — they are a necessity.

Participants gained a foundational understanding of green chemistry principles directly relevant to the design of safer substances. They explored how toxicological risks are considered in chemical development, which environmental criteria are crucial, and why functionality and safety should no longer be seen as a compromise.

The speaker introduced a set of widely used tools that help developers avoid hazardous chemicals and identify safer alternatives when creating or improving formulations for the consumer goods market. It was demonstrated how life cycle assessment (LCA) supports the choice of truly sustainable solutions instead of “cosmetic” substitutions.

Participants also examined cases of failed replacements, where hazardous substances were substituted with others that later proved harmful, alongside successful examples of safer alternatives implemented in household products, textiles, and paints/coatings.

Additionally, barriers faced by modern industry in the wider adoption of safe chemicals were analyzed. The webinar concluded with a discussion on the future: digital platforms for modeling and predicting toxicity, as well as new technologies and approaches for developing functional materials.

Participation
Over 80 participants joined the webinar. A video recording will soon be available on the RECP Centre’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/RECPCentreUkraine

Organizers
The Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre in partnership with the Yale Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering (USA), within the UNIDO project Global GreenChem Innovation and Network Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).