This week, Joseph Rinkevich, SciVera’s Founder & President, presented at the ACS Green Chemistry and Engineering Annual Conference in Bethesda, Maryland. The topic of the panel session was green chemistry and innovation, chaired by John Frazier, General Manager of Chemistry at Nike, Inc. During this session, Mr. Rinkevich described how it is now possible for companies to make use of reliable, rapid, and cost-effective methods of gathering product chemical information from suppliers and then evaluating that information for human and environmental health. This significant improvement in the capability for companies to process chemical safety assessments (hazard, exposure, and risk) on product and processes is transforming how companies engage with suppliers, protect supplier confidential ingredient information, and select preferred materials and chemicals. Rinkevich underscored the importance of going beyond screening materials against restricted substance lists (RSLs) only. RSL screening is useful, but it does not an effective method for selecting preferred chemicals as alternatives. In many cases, even if a chemical is not yet on a restricted substance list, it can have characteristics of concern for human or environmental health. The session generated much thoughtful discussion from participants and the audience.
