New SETAC Interest Group Launched: The Advancement and Application of Alternatives Assessment (A4)

Lauren Heine, Heine Group, LLC; Timothy Malloy, University of California, Los Angeles; Libby Sommer, Libby Sommer LLC; Joel Tickner, Molly Jacobs and and Jennifer Landry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Catherine Rudisill, Safer Chemistry Advisory; and Colleen McLoughlin, Enhesa

Paving the Path Toward Safer, More Sustainable and Functional Substitutes to Chemicals of Concern

Years of painstaking research by an untold number of SETAC members has documented the impacts of commercial chemicals on humans, wildlife and ecosystems. This work has helped to underpin regulatory and voluntary restrictions for some of these chemicals. For example, within the last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized its ban on methylene chloride for a range of uses and proposed a ban for all uses of trichloroethylene. The European Commission is considering a universal restriction on the more than 10,000 per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). Although these bans are a step toward healthier environments, without assurance that the chemicals and materials used in their place are inherently safer, there can be no confidence that the problem is indeed solved (Rudisill et al. 2023). Meanwhile, without sufficient mandates and resources guiding them to informed substitution, industry will likely continue to prioritize the most expeditious substitutes available.

Enter the Field of Alternatives Assessment

Alternatives assessment, also known as chemical alternatives assessment, alternatives analysis or analysis of alternatives (depending on the jurisdiction), emerged in the early 1990s to help both government and industry actors avoid regrettable substitutes, i.e., to avoid going from the proverbial “frying pan into the fire” in the selection of alternative chemicals for use in products and processes. It is simply not good enough to substitute a known and regulated toxic chemical with another that is less regulated.

Alternatives assessment raises the bar for substitution beyond the “least regulated” to a more holistic and systematic, yet flexible consideration of a substance’s health and environmental impact alongside the practical considerations of technical performance, supply chain implications and cost. Although green and sustainable chemistry is paving the path towards engineering chemicals that are “benign by design,” most chemicals that form the basis of economies today were developed and deployed during the 1940s–1960s without knowledge or consideration of potential negative impacts on human health and the environment across the chemical’s life cycle. A transition to safer, more sustainable substitutes that are also feasible with respect to performance and cost, lies at the core of an alternatives assessment. Alternatives assessment can also be used for research and development, leading to product innovations that align with regulatory objectives and with green or sustainable chemistry initiatives. For more background on alternatives assessment, see SETAC’s Technical Information Paper on the topic and the SETAC April 2024 webinar Driving Safer Chemicals Through Alternatives Assessment.

It is our pleasure to announce the new SETAC Advancement and Application of Alternatives Assessment (A4) Interest Group (SETAC A4 IG). A4 came to SETAC as a small, stand-alone professional organization established in 2018 to advance this nascent science and policy field. Alternatives assessment, by definition, is a multi-disciplinary approach that aligns with the diverse expertise of the SETAC membership. The same expertise that has focused on documenting harms and developing solutions is needed to support more mindful business decisions and guide more effective regulatory policies. With increasing policy and market demands to substitute chemicals of concern in products and processes, decision-makers in business and government need information to support smarter and more sustainable decisions based on approaches that are consistent, defensible and transparent.

Alternatives assessment is at an inflection point. Significant effort has been made to ground the field in robust methodologies and practices, but additional work is needed, as outlined by Bechu et al., in the September issue of  Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. Addressing these gaps, such as standardizing approaches to assessing the hazard of mixtures, will help to ensure wider adoption and scaling of this practice. As an example of needs confronting the field, this month the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is convening a workshop organized by its Working Party on Risk Management to consider how environmental sustainability attributes could be better integrated in combination with hazard attributes to inform chemical selection decisions, including in substitution contexts. A transition to safer and more sustainable chemicals and technologies is key to mitigating harm from the global production and release of toxic chemicals into the environment.

Purpose and Scope of the A4 IG

Starting this month, A4 has integrated into SETAC as an IG providing opportunities to leverage the expertise of this membership to support the growth and global reach of alternatives assessment. The purpose of the A4 IG is to enhance the science and practice of alternatives assessment; advance informed substitution; and support a vibrant, effective community of professional practitioners for the field. The work of the A4 IG aims to create a future whereby every function performed by a chemical, material, process or product is achieved with safe and sustainable solutions. Specific topics of interest to the IG include:

• Approaches and emerging best practices and related decision rules for using new approach methods (NAMs) for assessing chemical hazards in alternatives assessments
• Methods for assessing the hazards of mixtures to humans and other species
• Best practices for using alternatives assessment for product research and development
• Evolving ecological hazard assessment methods that include additional applicable and sensitive species beyond aquatic toxicity
• Developing and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and big data approaches in decision-making and product design
• Advancing how best to consider persistence, mobility and bioaccumulation potential along with inherent hazards when considering alternatives
• Evolving hazard and exposure assessment approaches for alternatives assessment when considering nanomaterials
• Evaluating alternatives that have the potential to form microplastics
• Advancing decision analysis to evaluate hazard and exposure tradeoffs among alternatives
• Developing and testing guidance for initial scoping and problem formulation when life cycle stages and impact categories are comparatively different between the chemical of concern and alternatives being considered (e.g., a chemical versus an engineered solution)
• Adapting life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment approaches (both qualitative and quantitative) for use in alternatives assessments
• Developing cost effective and quick ways to assess alternatives in early-stage product and process development
• Developing and assessing analytical and deliberative processes to support decision-making in both private and regulatory contexts
• Developing case studies on the use of alternatives assessment for substitution challenges across a range of product and process types
• Exploring alignments with alternatives assessment and the emerging Safe and Sustainable by Design approach in Europe

All interested SETAC members are encouraged to join the A4 Interest Group to help shape the future of this field regarding methods and practices and to support substitution efforts that minimize future regrettable replacements.

For those attending the SETAC North America 45th Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, members of the A4 IG steering committee invite you to our first membership meeting on Tuesday, 22 October, in room 201B at the Fort Worth Convention Center to help shape and focus activities of this group in the coming year. Please bookmark the A4 IG meeting in your agenda. There is also a special session on Alternatives Assessment (Session 4.04.T) from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on Thursday, 24 October.

We look forward to your participation in our growing community, collaborations with other IGs, and the formation of new professional and research partnerships. 

Author’s Contact:  [email protected]