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Safer, faster, value for taxpayers

Chemicals regulation in the UK is broken. Businesses, academics and the public have all told us about their problems with the current chaotic system. The most recent chemicals strategy wasn’t published this century.

A national Chemicals Agency is needed to help get things back on track.

Such a body would supercharge our ability to:

• Protect human health and the environment against both short- and longer-term risks across the life cycle of chemicals
• Drive innovation and economic growth by giving businesses and researchers clarity over what is required of them, adapting promptly to new developments in testing and risk mitigation, and facilitating international trade agreements
• Deliver taxpayer value for money by maximising coordination across government, with a well-resourced and skilled staff, to deliver a "one substance, one assessment" approach

Why a national Chemicals Agency?

Every one of us interacts with chemicals every day – they are in the water we drink, the products we use and the air we breathe. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries turn over £50 billion and add £18 billion of value to the UK economy every year, while almost every business in the country is affected by some form of chemicals regulation. These materials matter to individuals, businesses and the country as a whole so it is important the systems governing them work effectively. However, problems with the current system include:

• A short-term and reactive approach to risk
• A lack of clarity for business
• A lack of coordination leading to inconsistent decision-making
• Inefficiencies that are poor value for money
• Cumulative barriers to UK trade, investment and influence

With the country is still in a state of transition following the UK’s exit from the European Union, the time to set up a Chemicals Agency is now.

Businesses face significant uncertainty as post-Brexit changes to chemicals policy continue, while emerging issues threaten the health of our citizens and our environment, such as PFAS. However, rather than reacting to a catastrophe, we believe it would be better to have a regulator that anticipates and proactively manages longer-term risks. This is key for chemicals as many of the potential problems that arise come from cumulative exposure over a sustained period.

We have a unique opportunity to develop a more streamlined, coherent and effective regulatory framework that enhances the UK’s position as a leading scientific nation. And our estimates show that this could be achieved with a net neutral impact on the budget.

In a rush? Read our short explainer.

We are calling on the government to take six immediate actions

1. Release its long-awaited Chemicals Strategy, in order to provide a holistic strategic plan from government for the economically valuable chemicals sector.
2. Commence negotiations for access to ECHA data, which will allow for minimal duplication of effort and high confidence in reviewing the safety data of chemicals on the GB market.
3. Provide a timeline for UK REACH reform and the likely new registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals processes, to provide clarity and reassurance for businesses to enable them to budget and collaborate with certainty.
4. Immediately fund a programme of short training courses to upskill and fast-track new civil servants and industry technical specialists. This could become self-funded over time then develop a base of independent scientific expertise and research programmes.
5. Commit to a national Centre for Chemicals and Risk Research (CCRR) to ensure GB regulators are informed by the best and most up-to-date independent scientific evidence and methods to support agile safety decision-making for innovative new products using advanced materials and new technologies.
6. Commit to a national Chemicals Agency to enable the UK to be a worldwide regulatory leader. It would use the best science and evidence to help prevent harm to health and the environment, promote responsible innovation, economic growth and trade, and maximise taxpayer value for money.

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Our campaign points to the mistakes of the past where a national Chemicals Agency could have helped us react faster and minimise harm.

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