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Target group
Designers, SMEs
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Application
Today we know much more about substances with harmful effects on humans, animals and the environment than we used to. What if there are Substances of Very High Concern (ZZS) in your product or process? How can you find out? And how can you take this into account in the design and choice of materials? In this webinar you will learn about substances of very high concern and safe by design.
Expert Café Highly Concerned Substances and circular design in practice
On July 12, 2022, the Circular Design platform CIRCONNECT organized an Expert Café on Substances of Very High Concern and circular design in practice. CIRCONNECT partners CIRCO and NRK together with RIVM and VNCI gave more background and insight into this theme.
The Expert Café featured the following topics and speakers:
- Information about and awareness of Substances of Very High Concern within the Circular Economy and the legal framework.
- Frieke Heens, consultant circular economy at National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM
- Getting started with a practical module: how to consider ZZS already in the design?
- Ingeborg Gort, Expert team CIRCO and advisor at Partners for Innovation
- Real-life examples: what are dilemmas, pitfalls and alternatives? The perspective from various industries.
- Alex van Gelderen, Advisor Substances Policy at The Dutch Rubber and Plastic Industry Federation NRK and
- Michiel van Kuppevelt, Advisor Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability at Royal Dutch Chemical Industry Association VNCI
Substances of Very High Concern and Safe by Design
We are moving toward a fully circular economy by 2050. In this, raw materials are constantly reused so that there is no waste or as little as possible. The value and thus the application possibilities increase for used materials when they are not harmful to people and the environment. In other words, if they do not contain any substances of concern (ZZS).
For companies and designers, the first question is whether such substances are incorporated into their products. If so, the next question is how these products and/or processes can be (re)designed. In a way that they have no harmful effects on people and the environment throughout their life cycle, their reuse value is preserved and the materials can be used without limitation. This is called Safe by Design. This online Expert Café discusses awareness, substitution and prevention. Various organizations will also share their experiences from practice.
Together with RIVM, CIRCO developed a practical Safe by Design module. This allows companies and designers to make an initial assessment of whether their product contains possible ZZS and what consequences this may have in the chain in the future.
View the module
Looking back and deepening
The following presentations were given during the Expert Café:
- click on the title to download the presentation -.
Substances of Very High Concern (PHS) in the Circular Economy
- Frieke Heens
Safe by Design and ZZS
- Ingeborg Gort
Examples of phasing out ZZS
- Alex van Gelderen
Circular design: module (high) concern substances
- Michiel van Kuppevelt
More information on substances of very high concern can be found here:
Website RIVM
Website Chemicals Goed Geregeld (Rijksoverheid).
Watch the webinar You go to a Dutch version