Around the world, many ambitious environmental conventions and regulations have been implemented over recent decades. Despite this, the environment is still deteriorating. An increase in the volume and diversity of chemicals is one of the main drivers of this deterioration, of which biodiversity loss is a telling indicator. In response to this situation, in October 2020, a chemicals strategy for sustainability (CSS) was published in the EU. The CSS is the first regional framework aiming to address chemical pollution in a holistic manner. The CSS covers the complete lifecycle of a chemical, including the design of better substances and remediation options, to remove chemicals from the environment. The strategy contains terms, such as a “toxic-free environment,” for which no clear definition exists, potentially hampering the implementation of the CSS. In this paper, a definition for a “toxic-free environment” is proposed on the basis of a survey and a discussion held at the 2020 SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. In addition, key issues that are absent from the CSS but are considered to be key for the realization of a toxic-free environment are identified. To achieve the policy goals, it is recommended to align the definition of risk across the different chemical legislations, to establish a platform for open data and data sharing, and to increase the utility and use of novel scientific findings in policymaking, through the development of a strong science to regulation feedback mechanism and vice versa. The paper concludes that environmental scientists have the tools to address the key challenges presented in the CSS. However, an extra step is needed by both policymakers and scientists to develop methods, processes and tools, to increase the robustness and transparency of deliberation processes, and the utility of science. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:1105–1113. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

中文翻译：

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欧盟绿色新政对无毒环境的雄心：填补科学决策的空白


近几十年来，世界各地实施了许多雄心勃勃的环境公约和法规。尽管如此，环境仍在恶化。化学品数量和多样性的增加是这种恶化的主要驱动因素之一，其中生物多样性丧失是一个明显的指标。针对这一情况，2020年10月，欧盟发布了化学品可持续战略（CSS）。 CSS 是第一个旨在全面解决化学污染问题的区域框架。 CSS 涵盖了化学品的整个生命周期，包括设计更好的物质和补救方案，以从环境中去除化学品。该战略包含“无毒环境”等术语，但没有明确的定义，这可能会妨碍 CSS 的实施。本文根据2020年SETAC欧洲年会的调查和讨论，提出了“无毒环境”的定义。此外，还确定了 CSS 中没有但被认为是实现无毒环境关键的关键问题。为实现政策目标，建议统一不同化学品立法中的风险定义，建立开放数据和数据共享平台，并通过开发强有力的科学调节反馈机制，反之亦然。该论文的结论是，环境科学家拥有解决 CSS 中提出的关键挑战的工具。 然而，政策制定者和科学家都需要采取额外的步骤来开发方法、流程和工具，以提高审议过程的稳健性和透明度以及科学的实用性。整体环境评估管理2021；17：1105–1113。 © 2021 作者。综合环境评估和管理由 Wiley periodicals LLC 代表环境毒理学与化学学会 (SETAC) 出版。