The European Union’s REACH regulation aims to ensure the safety of chemicals used in Europe. However, new chemicals are constantly entering the market with adverse effects that emerge later. Once released into the environment, these chemicals can cause serious harm to health and the environment. Legislation is slow to react to new chemicals. What can be done? The panel will focus on solutions, both in terms of prevention and removal.

We will look at legislation, the role of municipalities as service providers and public procurers, the power of conscious consumers to demand safer products, and the potential of water protection: treating waste water in treatment plants is one gateway to contain the spread of chemicals. Controlling environmental toxins is a prerequisite for an efficient circular economy. At the same time, environmental toxics management often leads to greenwashing, which further misleads the consumer.

When: 27.8.2025 at 12.30-13.15
Where: webcast

Panelists

Laura Walin, Head of Unit, Environmental Protection and Steering, City of Helsinki

Lotta Ruokanen, Deputy Secretary General, HELCOM – Baltic Sea Commission

Petri Tuominen, Managing Director, Jyväskylän Seudun Puhdistamo Oy

Pauli Aalto-Setälä, Member of Parliament (CoR)

Moderator:

Piia Leskinen, Researcher, Turku University of Applied Sciences

Programme language: Finnish, simultaneous interpretation into English

The event is coordinated by EMPEREST and also involves the NonHazCIty 3 project and the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). The panel discussion is organised with the support of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme.