The 2030 Agenda – We work toward a sustainable world
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The Swedish Chemicals Agency deals with health and environmental aspects of chemicals not only in Sweden and in the EU, but also globally. We do so based on the Swedish Parliament´s environmental objectives and the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda.
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The Swedish Chemicals Agency and the 2030 Agenda
The UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda in September 2015, which sets 17 global goals for sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.
Some of the main challenges in the work toward sustainable development is the sharp increase in the use and production of chemicals worldwide, an increasing proportion of which takes place in countries with less developed chemicals management. Global trade in chemicals and articles leads to the release and dispersion of hazardous chemical substances in connection with manufacture, during use and at the waste stage. Continued international development cooperation is therefore important. This to contribute to sustainable development. There is also a need to restrict the most hazardous substances globally.
The Swedish Chemicals Agency works nationally, within the EU and globally to develop rules regarding chemical products and articles, and in other ways to encourage the various actors in society to prevent people, animals, and the environment from exposure to harmful chemicals. We see that preventive chemicals management at all these levels is a prerequisite for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda. Our work contributes in different ways to all the goals and through the Swedish environmental quality objective of A Non-Toxic Environment we contribute directly to eight of them, including responsible consumption and production, good health and well-being, and clean water and sanitation.
Examples of how the Swedish Chemicals Agency's work contributes to the 2030 Agenda
The textile dialogue
The textile dialogue is designed to help mitigate the environmental and health impact of the textile industry throughout the value chain to create resource-efficient and non-toxic material cycles. Through dialogue and innovation as a method, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Chemicals Agency seeks to involve stakeholders and empower them in relation to relevant issues in the textile value chain. The dialogue takes place in cooperation with authorities, researchers, the textile industry, and voluntary organisations as well as other actors.
ITP - International training programme for capacity development
The programme focuses on how national chemicals management can be developed and organised. Issues raised include, for example, how to develop knowledge about chemical substances and mixtures in a country, how to provide information about the properties of chemicals and how to assess the risks associated with the use of chemicals. The programme also deals with different strategies to mitigate these risks and methods that can be used to ensure that various actors are aware of and comply with applicable legislation.
The EU Circular Economy Strategy
The Swedish Chemicals Agency plays an active role in the implementation of the European Commission's circular economy action plan. The work includes the waste directives, the strategy for plastics and the strategy for the interface between EU chemicals, waste, and product legislations.
Chemicals in children's everyday life
Children are particularly sensitive to hazardous chemical substances. Accordingly, the Swedish Chemicals Agency has gathered knowledge and gives advice about how to make conscious choices regarding chemicals in everyday life to better protect children.