Future-proof your business

Find safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals

Chemicals are used in all sorts of manufacturing. Unfortunately, chemicals designed for certain functions – such as flame retardants, water repellents and plastic softeners – are many times hazardous and pose a liability to both your business as well as human health. Make sure YOUR product is toxic free – substitute with a safer alternative.

OrganoComp; A green biocomposite for advanced applications

Paxymer – halogen free (non-halogenated) flame retardant synergist

Alternative thermal paper - without developer

100% biodegradable disinfectant, biocide, even for human drinking water, no toxic residue, no acids, no metals. Organic

Non-ionic surfactants for degreasing – high performance at low concentrations

Kieserol KF13 BIO parts cleaner . (Biological detergent for cleaning tables/ parts cleaner)

good natured Plant-Based Desk Accessories

Multi Daily is an ecological cleaner free from harmful chemicals

Sciessent Curb® Fluorine-Free Durable Water Repellent

Food Gases in MAP such as N2 and CO2

BINDERS FOR NONWOVENS AND TEXTILES

miDori® bioWick – plant seed oil based wicking finish for textiles

LANASOL® CE - pioneering replacement of chrome dyes since 20 years

Cyrene a biobased alternative to NMP, DMF and similar solvents

Kieserol KF11 GFK Reiniger . Acetonersatz (Acetone alternative for cleaning glass fiber plastics)

good natured Recyclers & Waste Bins

Packaging made from Elephant Grass instead of plastics

Alpha® Free Direct Thermal POS Paper

Bio-based Ethyl-L-lactate

Sustainable dyeing using microbiology

Explore Safer Alternatives by Category

Construction

Electronics

Textile

Chemicals under scrutiny

View all

Industry Requests for Safer Alternatives

Conditioning agents for skin and hair cleansing products

Biodegradable chelating agents

Water and oil repellant surface treatments

Bio-based surfactants with low aquatic toxicity

Wanted: Alternative to thiourea in silver polish

View all Submit request

Marketplace Supporters

Do like the following organisations and support the core idea of Marketplace – to increase the visibility of safer alternatives and make them available to the market.

H&M

IKEA

How’s Marketplace doing? Here is the answer

At ChemSec, we like to think that Marketplace is pretty unique. Sure, there are other platforms that deal with safer chemicals or try to solve some problem related to toxic chemicals, but they’re mostly connected to a specific industry or locked behind a paywall and so forth.

The fast, non-academic, Do-It-Yourself advertisements of Marketplace, aiming to introduce safer chemicals in all sectors – completely for free – is not seen anywhere else.

We’re not saying this to talk down other “platforms”, we actually cooperate with many of them in varying degrees. We’re just proud of our inclusive approach, that’s all.

But talk is cheap. The real question of course is not what we think about Marketplace – it’s rather what the users think. So, to answer that question I’d like to share some facts and figures with you.

Chromium VI – the carcinogen of international fame

For some time now, chromium VI has perhaps been the most well-known toxic chemical in the world – largely because of the Hollywood movie Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts. That was over 20 years ago, but the problems have not stopped.

The Danish Popcorn Revolution of 2015

In May 2015, the Danish supermarket COOP completely stopped selling microwave popcorn. The shelves where it used to be were suddenly empty. Then in October the same year, it reappeared on the shelves. What had happened?

Frequently asked questions

What is Marketplace and how can it help your company?

Here’s a collection of the most asked questions we get from time to time.

ECHA is looking for an alternative!

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) just posted a request on Marketplace.

Why? One company has submitted an Application for Authorisation to ECHA in order to allow continued use of Trichloroethylene in the extraction process of caprolactam. The legislation states that an authorisation should only be granted if there are no safer alternatives available.

ECHA is therefore reaching out to solution providers here on Marketplace, urging them to submit information about their alternatives.

Circular economy will never take off unless we adress hazardous chemicals in recycled materials

Looking at design and production, and what the barriers for a circular economy are, it always comes down to hazardous chemicals.

Four approaches to substitution your company should start considering

At the face of it the driver for substitution and chemicals management is simple – greener and safer chemicals are the only sustainable path forward.

Additional Resources

SINimilarity shows if a substance is structurally similar to a substance on the SIN List, which in turn indicated similar problematic properties. The aim is to help avoid substituting one problematic chemical with another.

Go to SINimilairity

The Textile Guide walks you through the process of chemicals management from a textile industry perspective. You will learn to identify the relevant chemicals and find ideas on how to phase them out.

Go to Textile Guide

The SIN (Substitute It Now!) List is a globally used database of chemicals likely to be banned or restricted in a near future, as we have selected them for fulfilling EU´s REACH ”Substances of Very High Concern” criteria.

Go to SIN List

GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals is a method for comparative chemical hazard assessment. It can be used by anybody interested in assessing the inherent hazards of chemicals and their potential effect on human health and the environment.

Go to GreenScreen

The Substitution Support Portal provides general information on substitution and hundreds of ”case stories”, examples of successful substitutions.

Go to SUBSPORT

The OECD Substitution and Alternatives Assessment Toolbox (SAAT) is a compilation of resources relevant to chemical substitution and alternatives assessments.

Go to OECD Substitution Toolbox (SAAT)

SIN Producers is a database of companies that are producing or importing the most hazardous chemicals in Europe. This information can be used for making sustainable investments, identifying companies with a product portfolio likely to be regulated.

Go to SIN producers