5 activities of BizNGO in 2022

March 11, 2022 Newsletters

• Chemicals Management Work Group: adding chemical classes to chemical footprints and specifying benchmarks for corporate chemicals management performance
• Hazard Assessment Work Group: refining criteria for endocrine disruption, polymer assessment, circularity and toxics, and transparency in supply chains
• Public Policy Work Group: informing policies and regulations on PFAS, cosmetic safety, transparency, circular economy, and more
• DEI & EJ Work Group: address the reality of the disproportionate impacts of toxic exposures throughout the supply chain
• Annual meeting: hold the dates for December 6-7, 2022 in person in Boston!

Chemicals Management Work Group

• Chemical classes in the CFP Survey and chemical footprints
• Benchmarks for corporate chemicals management performance

• Session 4. Standards, Indexes, & Purchasers Tracking Corporate Progress to Safer Chemicals featured presentations by:
  • Susan Wilburn, International Sustainability Director, Health Care Without Harm
  • Constantina Bichta, Associate Director of Environmental, Social & Governance Research
  • Mellissa Nguyen, Senior Program Manager, Environmentally Preferred Sourcing, Vizient, Inc.

• In collaboration with the Hazard Assessment Work Group, Session 3 on Safer Chemicals in Manufacturing featured presentations by:
  • Charlotte Brody, Vice President for Occupational and Environmental Health, BlueGreen Alliance
  • Shari Franjevic, GreenScreen Program Manager, Clean Production Action
  • Jennifer Reece, Sustainable Materials Innovation Manager, HP Inc.

• Mellissa Nguyen, Vizient, Inc.
• Cheri Peele, Clean Production Action

Hazard Assessment in Decision Making Work Group

• Address pain points and create solutions to refine the science and practice of hazard assessment in decision-making.
• Promote best practices and develop resources that advance and clarify the practice of hazard assessment and the application of GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals in evaluating, designing, and selecting safer ingredients and products.
• Discuss and make recommendations for the effective integration of hazard assessment in decision-making frameworks including alternatives assessments, standards, ecolabels, purchasing specifications, restricted and acceptable substance lists, campaigns, and regulations.

• Chemical/Material Assessments
  • Defining endocrine activity criteria for GreenScreen Hazard Assessments
  • Assessing transformation products from BPADP
  • Assessing polymers: challenges, methods, and opportunities for harmonization
• Toxicity and Circularity
  • Characterizing recycled content
  • Solving sourcing challenges
  • Evaluating the pros and cons of post-consumer recycled content (PCR)
• Supply Chain Transparency
  • Curating strategies for collecting, managing, and sharing chemical ingredient data  

• Session 5. Circularity & Toxics: Bringing Chemical Safety to Closed Loop Systems featuring presentations by:
  • Sarah Doll, National Director, Safer States
  • Sue Chiang, Director, Food Programs, Center for Environmental Health
  • Troy Virgo, Director of Sustainability, Shaw Industries, Inc.

• In collaboration with the Chemicals Management Work Group, Session 3 on Safer Chemicals in Manufacturing featured presentations by:
  • Charlotte Brody, Vice President for Occupational and Environmental Health, BlueGreen Alliance
  • Shari Franjevic, GreenScreen Program Manager, Clean Production Action
  • Jennifer Reece, Sustainable Materials Innovation Manager, HP Inc.

• Nicole Acevedo, Elavo Mundi Solutions 
• Shari Franjevic, Clean Production Action
• Antonio Quiñones-Rivera, GOJO Industries
• Cory Robertson, HP Inc.
• Mark S. Rossi, Clean Production Action

ASBN-BizNGO Safer Chemicals Public Policy Work Group

• Learn, engage, and collaborate with peers in the latest chemical management and policy actions
• Engage in activities to promote green, sustainable, and equitable chemical management policy at the state and federal levels
• Hear in-depth analyses by policy experts.
• Approach policy initiatives in a non-partisan, balanced, objective, and technically-sound manner.

• Cosmetic safety bills
• PFAS-free policy initiatives
• Chemical ingredient transparency and supply chain initiatives
• California Safer Consumer Product Regulation implementation
• Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act implementation
• US EPA Safer Choice Program
• Washington State Safer Products

• Session 2a. Implementing the Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure featured presentations by:
  • Mark Rossi, Executive Director, Clean Production Action
  • Avinash Kar, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Jon Smieja, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Andersen Corporation 
• Session 2b. Growing Supply Chain Transparency—featuring the innovative Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act featured presentations by:
  • Representative Jan Schakowsky, US House of Representatives 
  • Mia Davis, VP, Sustainability & Impact, Credo Beauty; and Co-Founder, Pact Collective
  • Janet Nudelman, Director of Program and Policy, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners 

• David Levine, American Sustainable Business Network
• Mark S. Rossi, Clean Production Action

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) & Environmental Justice (EJ)

• address the reality of the disproportionate impacts of toxic exposures throughout the supply chain by
• creating frameworks businesses, governments, and NGOs can use to incorporate an environmental justice approach into their initiatives to enhance the health of people and the planet

• Discuss why chemicals management is a key concern within EJ.
• Hear initial steps investment firms, NGOs, businesses, and governments are taking at the intersection of chemicals management and EJ.
• Build an action agenda for incorporating chemicals management policies and practices into EJ, racial equity, and/or human rights initiatives.
• Inform the work of BizNGO members to protect all people and the planet.

• Session 1a Tuning In: How are hazardous chemicals affecting your community? Featured presentations by:
  • Michele Roberts, National Co-Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance (EJHA)
  • Astrid Williams, Environmental Justice Manager, Black Women for Wellness 
• Session 1b Taking Steps to JDEI + chemical safety in businesses comments by:
  • Latonya Jackson, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Cincinnati
  • Pam Miller, Executive Director,  Alaska Community Action on Toxics
  • Susan Baker, Director of Shareholder Advocacy, Trillium Asset Management