A groundbreaking initiative is bridging the gap between the classroom and the chemical industry. NextGenChem, a new educational program launched by ChemFORWARD and Beyond Benign, is equipping college students with professional-grade tools to design safer products and accelerate the transition to sustainable chemistry.

ChemFORWARD Welcomes Dr. Anna E. Montgomery as Director of Operations

ChemFORWARD today announced the introduction of the Chemical Hazard Data Trust, a groundbreaking public interest initiative designed to transform access to reliable chemical hazard information and accelerate the global transition to safer, more sustainable products.

PFAS management is often treated as a matter of compliance: check the lists, confirm whether a chemical appears, and move forward if it doesn’t. But as PFAS definitions evolve and regulatory frameworks struggle to keep pace with chemical innovation, list-based screening alone is no longer sufficient to prevent risk.

The global challenge of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)—the persistent "forever chemicals"—can feel overwhelming.

They are ubiquitous and persistent, and removing them from the environment is often complex and prohibitively expensive.

What if the most powerful step toward a cleaner future isn’t years of invention and innovation - but a simple, strategic action at the very beginning of your journey?

Preventing "Regrettable Substitutions": ChemFORWARD to Lead Key Session at SETAC 2025

We're excited to announce the release of the new Planet Tracker report, "Toxic Additives: Analysing Product Portfolio Risk," which underscores the critical role of ChemFORWARD in bringing much-needed hazard transparency and safer alternatives to the plastics value chain.

The Know Better, Do Better (KBDB) Collaborative, an industry-led initiative managed by ChemFORWARD, today released the 2025 Beauty & Personal Care Ingredient Intelligence Report — a collaborative, data-driven benchmark for ingredient safety in beauty and personal care. Composed of members including Sephora, Ulta Beauty, The Honest Company, Credo Beauty, Counter, Inolex, and Dow, the KBDB Collaborative represents a rare coalition of retailers, brands, and suppliers working together to create the first standardized, data-driven benchmark for ingredient safety.

The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center’s (PPRC) Certification Assistance Program (CAP) and ChemFORWARD partnered to add new ingredients to the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Ingredients List (SCIL).

Today, ChemFORWARD announced new enhancements to their web-based platform that operationalize and integrate the application of OECD’s Guidance on Key Considerations for the Identification and Selection of Safer Chemical Alternatives.

Apple-Backed Initiative Unveils Supply Chain Transformation Tools to Accelerate Global Shift to Safer Cleaners and Degreasers

August 20, 2025 – Cleaners and degreasers are one of the highest use materials in electronics assembly. It is so critical that they be as safe as possible in their formulation and usage. In a bold step to safeguard the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of workers in the global electronics assembly industry, ChemFORWARD, in partnership with Apple, is proud to launch a dedicated application for cleaner and degreaser ingredient optimization. The free, web-based tool will help formulators rapidly replace high-hazard chemicals with safer, vetted alternatives thus reducing worker exposure. 

ChemFORWARD is excited to announce the launch of its new Chemical Alternatives Finder. This significant enhancement will empower ChemFORWARD’s users to move beyond hazard identification and seamlessly integrate functionality into their chemical selection processes.

ChemFORWARD is proud to announce that Hong Lin has joined our team as a Program Manager - Industry Collaboratives. With her deep expertise in regulatory science and safer chemistry, Hong will be a key leader in driving the growth and impact of our cross-sector collaboratives.

ChemFORWARD, a science-based nonprofit advancing safer chemistry, today announced the expansion of its SAFER™ trade name ingredient registry. This expansion follows the success of its initial pilot program and incorporates industry-specific criteria, ensuring that safer alternative chemicals are identified in alignment with the unique safety needs of sectors such as beauty, electronics manufacturing, apparel, and more.

"By embracing collaboration and leveraging tools like the Chemical Hazard Data Trust and CleanScreen, we can ensure a more sustainable and safer tomorrow."

ChemFORWARD announced the launch of pfasID, a free web-based tool that simplifies the process of identifying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS. These “forever chemicals” are highly persistent in the environment and pose significant risks to human health.

DURHAM, NC - February 21, 2025 - ChemFORWARD has updated its Chemical Hazard Data Trust to reflect the recent changes to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL).

To win consumer and investor confidence in circularity, we need to systematically eliminate chemicals of concern in the materials used in everyday products.

Change Chemistry, ChemFORWARD, and Safer Chemistry Impact Fund are collaborating to start this conversation in earnest by convening this dedicated workshop to share progress on safer chemistry and identify opportunities to accelerate safe and sustainable design.

Chemical Hazard Data Trust Helps Companies Replace Toxic Chemicals with Safer Alternatives to Reduce Human and Environmental Harm