On 6th of November the second consortium meeting for the LIFE FitforREACH-2 project was held in Riga, Latvia. It brought together 38 participants from partner organizations to review the first year of progress and plan the next steps.
Key achievements of the project first year:
- A lot of effort of expert partners has been put to developing different tools and handbooks for supporting chemicals risk management (CRM) in companies. All tools developed in FFR2 project will be made available on project website Tools section. Highlighted can be:
- Legislation table including EU chemicals related legislation
- Chemicals risk management handbooks including comprehensive overview of CRM for formulators, article producers and service providers
- Self-assessment questionnaire meant for regular use for companies for monitoring progress and analyse where improvement needs are
- ChemSelect is a web application for the sustainability assessment of substances and mixtures – supporting tool for substitutio that allows comparison of up to 5 substances/mixtures. ChemSelect is available in several languages.
- ECHA guidance material helps to understand where to find what information (will be available soon in English and in Latvian)
- Company work in FFR2 project is targeting partner companies and so-called light-case companies. During the 1st project year partner companies have implemented several innovative measures in resource efficiency, chemicals substitution, and safety improvements, and recruitment and work with 34 light-case companies across various industries has been ongoing.
- A relatively new topic of wastes and chemicals has been tackled by the project team and on 7th of November international seminar held in Riga.
- Replication in CEE countries has started in Hungary, where Követ has been subcontracted for local activities. Additionally, first info campaign has started in Poland to attract light-case companies.
Challenges and Opportunities:
During the meeting integrating chemicals management into environmental systems such as ISO and EMAS standards was discussed, emphasizing the need for improved supply chain communication and comprehensive environmental assessments.
Looking Ahead:
The next consortium meeting is planned for autumn 2025, with the idea to involve selected light-case companies and associations to showcase completed cases and expand stakeholder engagement.
