ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, submitted on 30 January an official proposal to restrict microplastic particles that are intentionally added to mixtures used by consumers or professionals. ECHA believes that if the restriction is adopted, the amount of microplastics released in the environment in the EU would drop by some 400 thousand tonnes over 20 years.

Intentionally created microplastics represent between 15-31% of all microplastics found in the oceans. The other sources of microplastics, also known as secondary microplastics originate from the degradation of larger plastic objects (bottles, bags…).

In September 2018, the European Parliament approved a plastics strategy which aims to increase the recycling rate of plastic waste in the EU, as well as an EU ban on certain single-use plastic products. They furthermore called on the European Commission to introduce an EU-wide ban on intentionally added microplastics in products such as cosmetics and detergents.

On 22 January, the EuChemS Periodic Table was unveiled by EuChemS President Pilar Goya and MEP Catherine Stihler alongside the oldest known wallchart of the Periodic Table at an event in the European Parliament.

With speakers from the scientific community and from the European Parliament and the European Commission, participants were delivered an outstanding talk, encompassing issues such as element scarcity, EU-led actions in the area, elements at the deep-sea level, the meaning and importance of the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019), as well as the exhilarating discovery of the Periodic Table wallchart in Saint Andrews.

It was all the more encouraging to see a wide variety of participants attend the event, from representatives from chemical societies, EU institutions, advocacy groups, and a class of some 25 pupils from the European School of Brussels.

We were particularly pleased to see the event and the Periodic Table picked up in news outlets across the world, from the UK to Australia. Listen to David Cole-Hamilton on BBC world, and take a look at this informative article in The Guardian.

Presentations for the event are available online here.

Celebrations for the IYPT2019 truly kicked off on 29 January at the UNESCO offices in Paris, where some 700 participants from across the world came together for a series of talks from leading scientists, along with an entertaining and informative exhibition area. A delegation of EuChemS members were present, along with EuChemS President Pilar Goya, and the secretariat. On display was the Periodic Table depicting element scarcity – which in turn was put in the spotlight by famous YouTuber Sir Martyn Poliakoff during his presentation on the Periodic Tables to be found in his office.

Speakers also included UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, Chemistry Nobel Laureate Ben Feringa, and Yuri Oganessian, pioneer in the discovery of super-heavy elements.

The event, mixing entertaining and accessible talks with crucial and complex presentations on scientific developments, together with a chemistry bar to unwind, was a great taster of what the year ahead has planned for us.

EuChemS has issued a Position Paper on the implementation guidelines of Plan S.

On 4 September 2018, ‘cOAlition S’, a coalition of national research funders, supported by the European Commission, launched ‘Plan S’, an initiative to accelerate the transition to open access in scientific publishing. Currently, several national funding bodies in Europe have committed to Plan S, others have not. The plan consists of 10 principles for the transition to Open Access and more specific implementation guidelines were published by cOAlitionS on 27 November 2018.

“EuChemS supports the transition to Open Access (OA) in scientific publishing. Access to research and dissemination of knowledge is a fundamental purpose of our community’s values and aims. As a representative for research chemists and chemical societies across Europe, we welcome the conversation and the debate that this has engendered and look forward to working together with all stakeholders on finding sustainable solutions that secure the interests of researchers, societies, funders, librarians and publishers involved in the important task of disseminating scientific research.

Although the implementation guidelines provide some clarifications, we believe the consequences of Plan S remain unclear and could undermine the visibility and vitality of European research on a global stage if not properly implemented.”

On 29 January, EuChemS attended the High-Level Open Science Policy Platform (OSPP) meeting in the European Parliament, with discussions touching upon indicators for research engagement, and the role of rewards and incentives. The OSPP is a high-level group tasked with providing feedback and guidance to the European Commission on the implementation of Open Science in Europe. EuChemS is represented in the group by Executive Board Member Wolfram Koch.