Scaling Access to Safer Chemistry
CHEMICAL HAZARD
DATA TRUST
Serving a world where every material decision is informed by transparent, robust chemical hazard data, eliminating regrettable substitutions, and enabling safe and sustainable design
A Digital Utility for a Safer World
Historically, companies seeking comprehensive chemical safety data faced significant hurdles. The assessment process was slow, expensive, and siloed—unable to share conclusions with supply chain partners. Lack of assessments led to "regrettable substitutions." Today, that landscape has shifted. Chemical hazard data is now managed as critical infrastructure, providing the reliable, affordable, and accessible foundation necessary for a safe and sustainable economy.
Shared Infrastructure for Global Supply Chains:
Reliable (Data Quality): Every assessment undergoes rigorous independent peer review, bi-annual validity reviews, and scoring to ensure a consistent supply of information, a single source of truth, to empower informed decisions.
Affordable (The Shared Grid): Instead of each company “digging their own well,” we provide a infrastructure that ensures the flow of high-quality information that everyone can draw from.
Accessible (Stakeholder Governance): Like a municipal utility, we are governed by a multi-stakeholder steering committee to ensure the resource remains sustainable, accessible, and dedicated to the public good.
By providing this foundational utility, we reduce the barriers of cost and time, increase reliability and build economies of scale that allow brands to focus on using data rather than creating data to build a safer, more sustainable future.
TOXIC IS EASY, SAFE IS HARD
“It takes a lot more information to prove that a chemical is inherently safe than it does to prove that it is toxic. Just knowing that a chemical is a known carcinogen or that it causes skin sensitization can be enough to rule it out as a good candidate for product applications. But to be sure that it is inherently benign for its intended use means that nearly two dozen human and environmental endpoints need to be considered and data gaps must be filled. A lack of hazard data does not mean that a chemical is inherently benign.”
- Lauren Heine, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor, ChemFORWARD
Why Use Chemical Hazard Assessments?
CHEMICAL HAZARD ASSESSMENTS
Chemical hazard assessments are comprehensive toxicology reports on a single chemical. They include hazard data on 24 human and environmental impacts. These assessments are essential to move beyond hazardous chemicals and toward verified safer alternatives. This hazard summary table provides a quick visual reference for each endpoint and route of exposure.From Data to Actionable Knowledge
The Data Trust enables organizations to proactively manage chemical safety through:
Interoperability: Data is structured to integrate seamlessly with existing transparency initiatives and software.
Actionable Decision Making: Overall Hazard Bands (A to F scale) allow easy comparison, alongside detailed rationales for deep technical understanding.
Systemic Equity: Reducing cost and time barriers foster a level playing field for safer chemistry adoption across all geographies.
The Power of Centralized Data
The Data Trust centralizes and creates broad access to comprehensive, verified chemical hazard data that is accessible with a unique cost-sharing, data-sharing model and governed by a multi-stakeholder steering committee.
Centralizing chemical hazard data accelerates the transition to safer chemistry by providing broad access to reliable, verified information. (redundant?) This "Single Source of Truth" is essential for scaling programs that rely on Chemical Hazard Assessments (CHAs), such as policy development, certifications, and proactive chemical management.
ACCESS THE DATA TRUST
API Seamlessly integrates with existing programs and platform providing direct access chemical hazard data.
Subscription A secure, cloud-based chemical hazard platform for rapid screening and in-depth chemical hazard assessments.
Ingredient Intelligence Reports Provide clear, comparable data for chemical management metrics and reporting.
Educators Empowering the next generation to design safer materials by creating broad access to chemical hazard data
The Data Trust is governed by a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee designed to prevent any single interest group from influencing scientific outcomes. Key stakeholders include:
Information creators - the scientific backbone;
Knowledge users that translate hazard information into tangible actions; and
Market activators who catalyze demand and systemic market transformation.
Together We Will
Provide the world’s most trusted and accessible repository of chemical hazard assessments and advance the standards and practices that guide assessment creation, peer review, maintenance, security, and access to support and accelerate the global transition to safer chemistry.
Our Values
Independence: Our structure ensures the highest level of trust and integrity, assuring the neutrality of our data.
Integrity: We uphold scientific and technological excellence through a multi-step, peer-reviewed process.
Public Interest: We are dedicated to being a cornerstone asset that enables systemic change and democratizes access to hazard information.
Meet the Steering Committee
Ame Igharo
Ulta Beauty
Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy
Art Fong, Ph.D.
Apple
Smarter Chemistry Technical Leader
David Bourne
Google
Lead for Environmental Strategy
Heather McKenney, M.P.H.
ChemFORWARD
Safer Chemistry Lead
Meg Whittaker, Ph.D.
ToxServices
Managing Director and Chief Toxicologist
Mike Delee
Dow
Global Business Product Stewardship Director
Richard Wielechowski
Planet Tracker
Senior Investment Analyst
Note: The committee is currently in its seating phase, with additional members and subcommittees being finalized through Spring 2026
Scientific Integrity & The "Single Source of Truth"
Data integrity is protected by scientific professionals and independent processes:
Independent Assessment: CHAs are conducted by qualified toxicology firms.
Peer Review: Assessments are verified by independent toxicologists to ensure consistency and reduce bias.
Standardized Methodology: All CHAs use an enhanced GHS-based method examining over 20 human and environmental impacts and three routes of exposure.
Continuous Quality Control: CHAs are subject to ongoing auditing, validity reviews, data maintenance, and methodology updates to ensure the best available science is represented.
Learn more about OUR APPROACH >>