This is how we assess alternatives on Marketplace

All alternatives on Marketplace have one thing in common: they do not contain hazardous chemicals.

More specifically, the alternatives do not contain intentionally added hazardous substances, or contaminants, with SVHC properties above 0.1% (1000 ppm).

With hazardous we mean CMR substances, endocrine disruptors, PBTs and vPvBs as well as the toxic cousins of such substances. For example, we do not accept any perfluorinated substances or halogenated flame retardants.

How can we ensure this?

Primarily, we evaluate the information supplied by the companies, such as Safety Data Sheets, Technical Data Sheets and Third-Party Labels.

However, we also go one step further, using publicly available data from authorities and published journals whenever it is available. For some cases – when data is not accessible – we use QSAR tools to get an understanding of the possible hazardous properties.

We do not perform any testing to ensure that the claims made by companies are true. Instead, the companies advertising on Marketplace are themselves individually responsible for providing correct information.

In ChemSec, the organisation behind Marketplace, we rely on 17 years of experience within chemicals management to perform these assessments. Over the years, we have established a strong and influential position among companies, and we have created the SIN List, which is one of the strictest lists of hazardous chemicals in the world.

In the ChemSec team, there is expert knowledge within toxicology, organic chemistry, chemical engineering, chemicals management, circular economy and chemicals policy. As an NGO with no financial support from industry, ChemSec acts independently, ensuring an unbiased assessment of the alternatives.

The assessment by ChemSec’sMarketplace team is made to ensure that the advertisements displayed on the website are in fact safer alternatives.

We moderate the site and remove advertisements that do not fulfil the criteria, but it is beyond our scope to do an in-depth investigation of all alternatives.

Prospective buyers are, instead, recommended to request documentation from the suppliers to back any claims they have made in their advertisements on Marketplace.