Trends 2026: Sharing Responsibility for Chemicals Management and Safety

The growth of the global chemical industry has created significant challenges for the environment and public health. As a result, comprehensive regulatory frameworks have been developed to keep pace with the industry’s rapid innovation, at least in developed countries. However, these regulations have only been partially effective at addressing chemical production and pollution and have typically not considered the critical role of the consumption system and consumers in helping to shape the industry and its impacts on public health and environmental safety.

The recent article “Complementing Global Chemicals Management Through Shaping Consumer Behavior” proposes a consumer-oriented approach to managing chemical safety and complementing existing comprehensive chemicals regulations. It proposes marketing and behavioral-science techniques to encourage consumers to make informed choices about chemicals and chemical product consumption, which will foster demand for the production of safer chemicals and a more sustainable chemicals market, particularly in regions with weaker or no regulatory frameworks.

3E discussed the article and the implications of this research on the future of the chemical industry with lead author Dr. Brij Mohan Sharma. Dr. Sharma is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellow jointly at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and RECETOX, Masaryk University, Brno in Czechia. He has cooperated and worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and grassroot civil organizations in developing countries. His work focuses on assessing environmental and human exposure to toxic chemicals and protecting human health and the environment by turning complex science into practical policies.