On 1 June 2022, the European Commission’s DG Environment organised an information session on the “1 substance, 1 assessment” (1S1A) initiative, which is part of the CSS (Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability), one of the components of the Green Deal. The aim was to inform stakeholders and citizens of the objectives and actions already undertaken and to be undertaken in this framework. The session started with the overall presentation of this 1S1A, made by Cristina de Avila, Head of Unit Sustainable Chemicals at the European Commission’s DG Environment.
“The 1S1A assessment process is a commitment of the European Commission, expressed in the European Green Deal and detailed in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The initiative aims to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, consistency and transparency of the conduct of chemical safety assessments across the legislation. When referring to 1S1A, it is important to remember that the assessment we are talking about is the assessment of hazards, exposure and resulting risks to human health and the environment. We are not talking about other assessments such as socio-economic impacts, consequences of restrictions or assessments of alternatives,” Cristina de Avila said in her introduction.
The situation today
In order to arrive at the concept of 1S1A, the Commission first took stock of the current situation with regard to the assessment of chemicals in five main areas.
Who takes the initiative for the assessment?
Today, within the framework of many different regulatory texts, assessments are launched by several types of actors (European Commission, Member State authorities, industry, etc.) and at different times.
Who actually does the assessment?
It can be carried out by different actors: Agencies (European or national), scientific committees, groups of experts or even consultants…
What data is used?
The European …
