Partners of the Projects LIFE ChemBee, ToxFree LIFE For All and INTERREG NonHazCity 3 cordially invite you to Brussels to join our conference and share research evidence on consumer exposure to harmful chemicals in various settings, pilot case studies and examples on how to work toward detoxifying our direct living environment. Keynotes and panels will discuss and propose chemicals policy changes to ensure that the health of Europeans is protected from hazardous substances in their everyday lives.

PROGRAM

9:00 – 9:30    Welcome and Registration (Coffee)
  9:45    Welcome from Project Leaders and Funder(s). Manuel Montero Ramirez, CINEA Project Advisor  
10:10  Aleksandra Rutkowska DETOXED – Health implications – EDCs exposure from our indoor environments  
10:30  Prof. Martin Scheringer, ETH Zurich and Masaryk University, Brno Czechia – The current systematic flaws of chemicals regulation
11:15Panel 1 = CONSUMER MATTERS: Informed Consumer Choice – not so easy and not for everyone? The CheckED app provides compelling evidence that consumers are eager to make healthier choices, opting for green products and transforming their homes to be toxics-free. Yet, our reach is still limited to a fraction of EU citizens. What does it take to detoxify the majority of European homes? Heidrun Fammler, BEF Germany-  a moderator –      Susana Fonseca (ZERO), Portugal –      Maria Hammarling (Swedish Consumer Association SCA), Sweden –      Martin Hojsík (Slovakia – Renew Europe) Policy uptake
12:00 – 12:45    Lunch break
12:45Pelle Moos (BEUC) – The current regulatory framework gaps from the consumers’ associations perspective
13:15Panel 2 = The Consumer Mandate: Evidence for Comprehensive Chemical Bans in the EU Policy Consumers urgently need and want access to safe products, yet harmful substances are still alarmingly present in everyday items. What should be the priority for the upcoming revision of EU chemicals legislation? Moderator: Karolina Brabcova, Arnika, CZ –      Thomas Jakl, AT – Deputy Director General, Austrian Environment Ministry –      Emese Gulyás PhD, Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete (Association of Conscious Consumers), Hungary –      dr. Milena Horvat Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences Institut Jožef Stefan, Slovenia –      Paul Speight – Head of Unit Safe & Sustainable Chemicals (ENV.C.4)
14:00Panel 3 = Tox-free by Design: Phasing Out Harmful Substances from Construction Materials    This session will explore the presence of hazardous chemicals in building materials, examining their health and policy implications. The panel will share NHC3 project results, discuss the Swedish BVB system’s role in safer construction, and address consumer issues like ecolabels, product markings, and material transparency.   Moderator: Eugeniy Lobanov, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden –      Mecki Naschke, World Future Council Foundation, Germany –      Grazvydas Jegelevicius, BEF Lithuania –      Ilze Neimane, Ecodesign Competence Center, Latvia –      Outi Ilvonen, UBA, Germany
15:30 Poster Presentations and Coffee break
16:00Closing remarks
16:30End of the event