THE DATASET
Offering chemical data for positive impact
ChemFORWARD and the Safe + Circular Materials Collaborative describe how the Plastic Additive Optimization Tool was built, along with its limitations, plans for continuous improvement and uses.
How the dataset was compiled
Several data sources, identified at the end of this document, were used to compile the dataset.
To identify chemicals likely to be used as plastics additives, the Collaborative turned to the ECHA Plastic Additives Initiative - mapping exercise. This joint project by ECHA and industry listed over 400 functional additives used in plastics, including information on the polymers they are most commonly found in, and the typical concentration ranges.
The mapping included REACH-registered substances at above 100tonnes/year, focusing on plasticisers, flame retardants, pigments, antioxidants, antistatic agents, nucleating agents and various types of stabilizers.”
This information was loaded into the ChemFORWARD platform, and hazard ratings were assigned to many of the chemicals, based on various data sources, including: authoritative lists, proxy data from US EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), TCO Certified Approved Substances LIst (ASL), and full chemical hazard assessments housed in the ChemFORWARD repository.
Because the ECHA work was not specific to packaging, the Collaborative contracted NSF International to create a Food Packaging Additive priority set of approximately 40 potentially safer alternatives for use in plastic and paper. For most of the safer plasticizers identified, full chemical hazard assessments existed in the current ChemFORWARD dataset. However, assessment information was missing for antioxidants and other stabilizers, which are critical for the quality of the recycled feedstock.
Chemical hazard assessments based on material compatibility, preferring materials that are most likely to be cycled/recycled such as PE and PET, were prioritized, while materials such as PVC and polystyrene, which don’t have broad circular economy potential, were deprioritized.
Based on this prioritization exercise, the Collaborative contracted 23 chemical hazard assessments for chemicals that lacked a definitive hazard band rating, and that fell into the priority functional categories, including antioxidants and stabilizers.
For users with specific food packaging needs, a filter has been added to the tool so that users can sort additives by the Food Packaging Forum's Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb). The FCCdb is a compilation of information on intentionally-added food contact chemicals, extracted from publicly-available sources, such as legislation on food contact materials, industry inventories, and NGO lists.
It should be noted that the FCCdb does not indicate regulatory approval status, nor does it imply food contact safety. In addition, food contact safety is typically approved by trade name, not chemical CAS#. For that reason, the Collaborative is calling on additive suppliers to have their additives assessed by trade name, and listed in the dataset so that formulators and manufacturers can more easily source additives that meet their business requirements.
Finally, it is worth noting that ChemFORWARD’s extensive set of flame retardants (a common plastic additive outside of the packaging sector) is not included in this dataset but is available via subscription to the ChemFORWARD Electronics Chemical Optimization Platform.
Limitations, continuous improvement and uses
ChemFORWARD and the Safe + Circular Materials Collaborative point out that the tool does not currently cover all functional plastic additives, and will be subject to continuous improvement.
The tool is a subset of ChemFORWARD’s full chemical hazard database . The initial plastics additive dataset released by the Collaborative is a starting point, focusing on chemicals organized by CAS#, function, and material compatibility. In the coming months, trade name additives, that have been assessed and verified by a third-party, will be added to the tool.
Interested parties are invited to help make the shared dataset more robust. This may include:
NGO’s, universities, and other researchers are invited to submit peer-reviewed research that outlines specific chemicals, functions, and material compatibility that can be tagged and loaded into the dataset;
Brands, retailers, and manufacturers can sponsor chemical hazard assessments with approved third-party toxicology firms to assign hazard ratings for high priority chemicals that lack data in the current dataset; and
Suppliers with safer alternatives can have their trade name materials assessed through the ChemFORWARD SAFER process and added to the tool.
Suppliers can also use the tool to pre-screen additives to see if they meet the qualifications for the SAFER designation.
To reiterate, the goals of the Collaborative in developing and offering the free tool are to:
Support global efforts to increase material circularity;
Accelerate use of safer chemistry in plastic materials and other recyclable materials;
Raise awareness of the need for safer chemistry to achieve safe and circular aspirations;
Encourage brands and manufacturers to fill critical data gaps; and
Incentivize additive suppliers to assess their safer additives by trade name through the SAFER program or other rigorous third-party assessment.
Intended uses include:
The hazard band ratings (A, B, C, F, ?) for each chemical and SAFER designations for trade names can be used to establish a common language through the supply chain.
Comparing the hazards of additives with the same technical function can help in the substitution of hazardous substances with safer alternatives.
Understanding underlying hazards can help users stay ahead of legislation and promote proactive chemical management. The ECHA plastic additives overview alone contains 418 substances of which 41% of the substances were considered for some kind of regulatory scrutiny under REACH.
Acknowledgement
ChemFORWARD would like to acknowledge the following documents, resources, and studies, which it used to develop the tool and its dataset:
Aurisano N, R Weber and P Fantke. 2021a. Enabling a circular economy for chemical in plastics. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 31:100513.
Aurisano N, L Huang, L Mila I Canals, O Jolliet and P Fantke. 2021b. Chemicals of concern in plastic toys. Environmental International 146:106194.
Bhat V S, J L Durham, G L Ball and J C English. 2014. Derivation of an oral reference dose for the nonphthalate alternative plasticizer 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid, di-isononyl ester (DINCH). J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 17(2): 63-94. DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2013.876288
Chemsec Marketplace (Chemsec). The International Chemical Secretariat. 2021. Available at: https://marketplace.chemsec.org/Alternatives
ECHA. Mapping Exercise- Plastics additives initiative. Accessed 2021. Available at: https://echa.europa.eu/mapping-exercise-plastic-additives-initiative#table.
Fantke, P, W A Chiu, L Aylward, R Judson, L Huang, S Jang, T Gouin, L Rhomberg, N Aurisano, T McKone and O Jolliet. 2021. Exposure and toxicity characteristics of chemical emissions and chemicals in products: global recommendation and implementation in USEtox. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 26: 899-915.
Glenn G, R Shogren, X Jin, W Orts, W Hart-Cooper and L Olson. 2021. Per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances and their alternatives in paper food packaging. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 20:2596-2625. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12726
López M del Mar Castro, C López de Castillo, J M López Vilariño and M V González Rodrígues. 2013. Agric Food Chem. 61(35) 8462–8470. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf402670a
OECD. 2020. PFASs and Alternatives in Food Packaging (Paper and Paperboard) Report on the Commercial Availability and Current Uses. OECD Series on Risk Management, No. 58. Environment, Health and Safety,
Environment Directorate, OECD. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/portal-perfluorinatedchemicals/ PFASs-and-alternatives-in-food-packaging-paper-and-paperboard.pdf
Food Packaging Forum, Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb). 2022. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3240109
Solenis. 2015. Sizing and Printability Technology. Available at: https://www.solenis.com/globalassets/resources/brochures/150106-pc-sizingprinttechwb.pdf
Tappi. 2017. Crisp, MT, R J Riehle and R Cho. Regulatory and Sustainability Initiatives Lead to Improved Polyaminopolyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE) Wet Strength Resins and Paper Products. Available at: https://www.tappi.org/content/Events/Tissue%202017/Conference%20Proceedings/REV_3B.3_Riehl.M.pdf
TCO Certified Approved Substances LIst (ASL). 2022. Available at:https://tcocertified.com/industry/accepted-substance-list/
US EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL). 2022. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients
US FDA. 2017. Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance (FCS) Notifications. Current as of 12/14/2017. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/packaging-food-contact-substances-fcs/inventory-effective-food-contactsubstance- fcs-notifications
US FDA. 2021. Inventory of Food Contact Substances Listed in 21 CFR. April 16, 2021. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/packaging-food-contact-substances-fcs/inventory-food-contact-substances-listed-21-cfr
Get Started ❯❯