Canada Moves to Deem All Plastics Toxic
The government of Canada has officially stated that it will be adding plastics and plastics manufactured products to the toxic substances list (Schedule 1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
These Regulatory changes:
- Will allow the government to de-select any plastic items without obligation or responsibility of providing rigorous research or evidence to justify the claim that “plastics are toxic”
- Are guided by the “Precautionary Principle” (Rio version) rather than science and data
- Do not require Parliamentary oversight
What VSI Members Can Do to Help
The Vinyl Institute of Canada has launched a multifaceted effort to stop the Canadian government from deeming plastics as toxic and are currently developing comments for submission, which they plan to make available on or before December 4, and in advance of the official government submission deadline on December 9.
Their organization is asking that you send a letter in opposition to your member of parliament and also share this message with your network.
The Vinyl Institute of Canada is conducting a webinar on November 25 to help guide interested parties through this process and/or provide additional perspectives, which you may wish to include in your respective submissions.
In addition, the following resources provide relevant information:
- The official announcement from Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Key notes and references including the project contact information and a summary of the issues
- Comments from Rich Krock, V.P. Senior Vice President Regulatory & Technical Affairs, Vinyl Institute, US
- Call to Action – Next steps on how you can help, along with protocols on making your submission
- Relevant Media/News – Various news clippings to help understand how this issue is perceived in the media
Questions?
If you require support while preparing a submission on this issue, please email the team at the Vinyl Institute of Canada at info@vinylinstituteofcanada.com.
