Just Transitions for Fisheries, Why nature matters to accountants, & Chemicals regulation: eftec at SETAC

In This Month's Newsletter:

• Developing a Just Transition Framework for Fisheries

  • Our work for Blue Marine Foundation with ABPmer

• Why Nature Matters to Accountants: Training with the GAA

  • Workshops on Corporate Natural Capital Accounting

• Regulatory Risk Management of Chemicals: eftec at SETAC

  • Our session at SETAC Europe's 35th Annual Meeting, May 13th

---

Developing a Just Transition Framework for Fisheries

Our work for Blue Marine Foundation with ABPmer

Blue Marine Foundation (BMF) is campaigning to ban bottom trawling in all Marine Protected Areas and advocating for a transition to lower impact activities. BMF also supports the principles of a just transition to ensure that a move to lower-impact practices does not unduly impact small-scale fishing communities. 

We worked with BMF and ABPmer to design a framework that analyses the expected social, economic, and environmental impacts across stakeholders of various transition approaches. The framework follows five iterative steps: 1) scoping, 2) collection of baseline data, 3) transition scenario modelling, 4) dynamic impacts and timescale modelling, and 5) transition outcome assessment.

The framework was presented at the World Fisheries Congress in March 2024: we look forward to seeing its implementation in real-world decision-making.

You can read a summary of this project and access supporting documents on our website, here. 

---

Why Nature Matters to Accountants: Training with the GAA

Workshops on Corporate Natural Capital Accounting

In recognition of the growing need for corporations to understand, measure, and manage their impacts and dependencies on nature, the Global Account Alliance (GAA) is bringing their international network of 1,400,000 accounting professionals up to speed with natural capital accounting principles and methodology.

We worked with the GAA to define the audience and their needs, and designed and delivered bespoke training. Training covered the corporate natural capital accounting (CNCA) process, how to work with stakeholders, and the barriers and solutions to implementing CNCA.

This work supported the development of GAA’s guide, published in March 2025: ‘Why nature matters to accountants’. You can read more in our project summary here and in our natural capital accounting brochure consolidating our decade long experience on the subject.

The ISO 14054 Standard on Natural Capital Accounting for Organizations being drafted by the International Standards Organization also covers similar ground and will be available in early 2026, at the latest.

---

Regulatory Risk Management of Chemicals: eftec at SETAC

Our Session at SETAC Europe's 35th Annual Meeting, May 13th

On the 13th May, eftec’s Director of Chemical Policy Thea Sletten will be hosting a session at SETAC Europe’s 35th Annual Meeting in Vienna, Austria. Organised by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the conference is the largest of its kind with over 3000 delegates attending last year. It brings professionals from all sectors together to discuss the latest advances in environmental toxicology, chemistry, and sustainable development.

The session will focus on the integration of risks, impacts, and socio-economic assessment in regulatory risk management of chemicals. At a time when the EU’s REACH is being revised, determining the proportionality of regulations will become increasingly important: making the intersection of scientific and economic analysis through risk, impact, and socio-economic assessment essential. After introductory remarks from Thea, the papers below will be presented before the session will open up for discussion:

• Silke Gabbart (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands) will make the case for integrating Socio Economic Assessment in the phase-out of harmful chemicals,

• David Spurgeon (UK CEH) will outline a framework (developed in collaboration with eftec) for ecosystem services impact assessment for chemical pollutants,

• Elvio Rufo (VU Amsterdam) will showcase the use of SEA for soil-remediation, and

• Daniel Slunge (University of Gothenburg) will give evidence on the use of price incentives for hazardous chemicals substitution in the EU. The panel will then open for discussion.

If you are at SETAC Europe this year, you can find us at 14:25 on Tuesday, 13th in Hall K2 of the Austria Center Vienna.

If you would like to join, you can register for the conference here.

More information on our session is available here.