Client: Belgian FPS of Economy and FPS of Public Health
Year: 2023
eftec team: Thea Sletten, Zachary Leather, Oliver Pilkington, Allegra Naldini, Victoria Reeser, Su Gulmus, Karli Jeffrey, Anushka Shah, Richard Dubourg (Associate)
Service Area: Chemical Policy
Location: Belgium
Full Report: Development of a Strategic Roadmap for the Substitution of SVHC as Part of a Sustainable Economy
About the Work
This research project - Belgian Plan for Chemical Alternatives (BEP4CAL) - was carried out to support the Belgian government in its efforts to promote substitution of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs).
eftec led the fourth phase of the project conducting a socio-economic analysis (SEA) of 10 shortlisted policy measures to promote the substitution of SVHCs. These 10 policy measures were assessed using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) to assess:
Effectiveness in achieving SVHC substitution,
Financial impacts,
Environmental and health impacts,
Practicability, and
Wider and distributional impacts.
The analysis demonstrated that obligation-based policy measures (e.g., fees and substitution plans) are more effective when combined with support mechanisms such as (non-)financial aid and awareness creation. It also highlighted that support mechanisms are important to engage smaller businesses that have less available resources for substitution activities. A policy package approach (mixing regulatory obligations with supportive tools) is therefore essential to maximise substitution potential, reduce costs for businesses, and ensure better compliance over time.