Chemical Risk is Business Risk: Is Your Company Prepared?

<span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Chemical Risk is Business Risk: Is Your Company Prepared? </span> <span><time datetime="2026-10-22T10:13:36-05:00" title="Thursday, October 22, 2026 - 10:13 CDT" class="datetime">Oct 22, 2026</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-terms-reference field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item content-tag content-tag--sustainability"><a href="https://www.electronics.org/primary-categories/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h6>Key Summary</h6><ul><li data-list-item-id="ee9989590124cb89299087e96cb18420e"><strong class="font-semibold" style="--tw-backdrop-blur:;--tw-backdrop-brightness:;--tw-backdrop-contrast:;--tw-backdrop-grayscale:;--tw-backdrop-hue-rotate:;--tw-backdrop-invert:;--tw-backdrop-opacity:;--tw-backdrop-saturate:;--tw-backdrop-sepia:;--tw-blur:;--tw-border-spacing-x:0;--tw-border-spacing-y:0;--tw-brightness:;--tw-contain-layout:;--tw-contain-paint:;--tw-contain-size:;--tw-contain-style:;--tw-contrast:;--tw-drop-shadow:;--tw-gradient-from-position:;--tw-gradient-to-position:;--tw-gradient-via-position:;--tw-grayscale:;--tw-hue-rotate:;--tw-invert:;--tw-numeric-figure:;--tw-numeric-fraction:;--tw-numeric-spacing:;--tw-ordinal:;--tw-pan-x:;--tw-pan-y:;--tw-pinch-zoom:;--tw-ring-color:#3b82f680;--tw-ring-inset:;--tw-ring-offset-color:#fff;--tw-ring-offset-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-ring-offset-width:0px;--tw-ring-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-rotate:0;--tw-saturate:;--tw-scale-x:1;--tw-scale-y:1;--tw-scroll-snap-strictness:proximity;--tw-sepia:;--tw-shadow-colored:0 0 #0000;--tw-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-skew-x:0;--tw-skew-y:0;--tw-slashed-zero:;--tw-translate-x:0;--tw-translate-y:0;border:0px solid rgb(229, 231, 235);box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Chemical risk is business risk:</strong> PFAS and other hazardous chemicals create financial, regulatory, and reputational exposure.</li><li data-list-item-id="e0da9bf8cb1c5ebc58d1ceda0f5f3992b"><strong class="font-semibold" style="--tw-backdrop-blur:;--tw-backdrop-brightness:;--tw-backdrop-contrast:;--tw-backdrop-grayscale:;--tw-backdrop-hue-rotate:;--tw-backdrop-invert:;--tw-backdrop-opacity:;--tw-backdrop-saturate:;--tw-backdrop-sepia:;--tw-blur:;--tw-border-spacing-x:0;--tw-border-spacing-y:0;--tw-brightness:;--tw-contain-layout:;--tw-contain-paint:;--tw-contain-size:;--tw-contain-style:;--tw-contrast:;--tw-drop-shadow:;--tw-gradient-from-position:;--tw-gradient-to-position:;--tw-gradient-via-position:;--tw-grayscale:;--tw-hue-rotate:;--tw-invert:;--tw-numeric-figure:;--tw-numeric-fraction:;--tw-numeric-spacing:;--tw-ordinal:;--tw-pan-x:;--tw-pan-y:;--tw-pinch-zoom:;--tw-ring-color:#3b82f680;--tw-ring-inset:;--tw-ring-offset-color:#fff;--tw-ring-offset-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-ring-offset-width:0px;--tw-ring-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-rotate:0;--tw-saturate:;--tw-scale-x:1;--tw-scale-y:1;--tw-scroll-snap-strictness:proximity;--tw-sepia:;--tw-shadow-colored:0 0 #0000;--tw-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-skew-x:0;--tw-skew-y:0;--tw-slashed-zero:;--tw-translate-x:0;--tw-translate-y:0;border:0px solid rgb(229, 231, 235);box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Safer alternatives start here:</strong> The updated guide helps electronics manufacturers identify chemicals of concern and evaluate safer options.</li><li data-list-item-id="e7d231dea26099efd7794e2d44f629e3d"><strong class="font-semibold" style="--tw-backdrop-blur:;--tw-backdrop-brightness:;--tw-backdrop-contrast:;--tw-backdrop-grayscale:;--tw-backdrop-hue-rotate:;--tw-backdrop-invert:;--tw-backdrop-opacity:;--tw-backdrop-saturate:;--tw-backdrop-sepia:;--tw-blur:;--tw-border-spacing-x:0;--tw-border-spacing-y:0;--tw-brightness:;--tw-contain-layout:;--tw-contain-paint:;--tw-contain-size:;--tw-contain-style:;--tw-contrast:;--tw-drop-shadow:;--tw-gradient-from-position:;--tw-gradient-to-position:;--tw-gradient-via-position:;--tw-grayscale:;--tw-hue-rotate:;--tw-invert:;--tw-numeric-figure:;--tw-numeric-fraction:;--tw-numeric-spacing:;--tw-ordinal:;--tw-pan-x:;--tw-pan-y:;--tw-pinch-zoom:;--tw-ring-color:#3b82f680;--tw-ring-inset:;--tw-ring-offset-color:#fff;--tw-ring-offset-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-ring-offset-width:0px;--tw-ring-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-rotate:0;--tw-saturate:;--tw-scale-x:1;--tw-scale-y:1;--tw-scroll-snap-strictness:proximity;--tw-sepia:;--tw-shadow-colored:0 0 #0000;--tw-shadow:0 0 #0000;--tw-skew-x:0;--tw-skew-y:0;--tw-slashed-zero:;--tw-translate-x:0;--tw-translate-y:0;border:0px solid rgb(229, 231, 235);box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Early action builds resilience:</strong> Safer chemistry protects workers, reduces risk, and strengthens competitiveness.</li></ul><hr><p><em>By Dr. Kelly Scanlon, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy, Global Electronics Association</em></p><p>The Global Electronics Association and the <a href="https://cleanelectronicsproduction.org/">Clean Electronics Production Network</a> have released an updated <a href="https://go.electronics.org/saferalternatives-guide">Guide to Safer Alternatives in Electronics Manufacturing</a>, a practical resource for companies working to reduce chemical risk in their products and processes.</p><p>The updated Guide comes at an important time. At two recent events I attended, the Economist Enterprise panel <a href="https://events.economistenterprise.com/climate-week/the-chemical-conundrum/"><em>The Chemical Conundrum: Finding Value in Safer Products</em></a> at Climate Week NYC 2026 and the Chemical Watch Regulatory Summit North America 2026, speakers made the same point again and again: chemical risk is business risk. Hazardous chemicals can create financial exposure even when their use is perfectly legal, and companies that wait to act may find themselves unprepared.</p><p>It was notable that chemical safety had a place on the Climate Week agenda, a sign that it is becoming part of the broader conversation on sustainability and business resilience.</p><p>The updated Guide is designed to help electronics businesses get ahead of that risk. It helps companies:</p><ul><li data-list-item-id="e28d1fef468e4c1d9c6ab3fdf2eeaaf72">Identify chemicals of concern in their products and processes</li><li data-list-item-id="e65697b597200709380d1b610566d1166">Assess potential safer alternatives</li><li data-list-item-id="e6b639b40757b340dfb937940eb5d821a">Move toward putting those alternatives in place</li><li data-list-item-id="ea22af5b87230a91e16c5936d2a76ef50">Share knowledge and resources across the supply chain</li></ul><p>Here's what the recent events showed about why and how the updated Guide matters.</p><p><strong>Legal today does not mean risk-free tomorrow</strong></p><p>Economist panelists described PFAS and similar chemicals as material business risks. Being compliant today does not protect a company from future regulation, reputational damage, or other consequences.</p><p>The Chemical Watch summit reinforced this. PFAS risk has grown well beyond cleanup costs and it now includes product recalls and the liability and reputational damage that can follow.</p><p><strong>How the Guide helps:&nbsp;</strong>Replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives reduces exposure to these risks at the source. The guide gives companies a framework for evaluating alternatives <em>before</em> regulation or liability forces a rushed, costly change.</p><p><strong>Investors want better information</strong></p><p>Economist panelists also pointed to gaps in the financial data on chemical risk. Without better information, investors often learn about a company's exposure only after a controversy hits the news. Companies that can show how they're managing chemical risk have a chance to stand out.</p><p><strong>How the Guide helps:&nbsp;</strong>A structured approach to assessing and substituting chemicals gives companies a clear, credible story to tell investors, customers, and other stakeholders about how they are managing risk.</p><p><strong>Early action starts with knowing your products</strong></p><p>The Economist panel's advice was to make decisions grounded in well-established science and to address potential harm before it becomes a problem. They summed up the approach simply: know what's in your products, set targets, and carry out the plan.</p><p>For electronics manufacturers, the first step can be the hardest. Complex global supply chains make it difficult to know exactly which chemicals are in products and processes.</p><p><strong>How the Guide helps:&nbsp;</strong>The Guide offers a practical starting point for identifying chemicals of concern, setting priorities, and evaluating safer options with confidence, while drawing on resources shared across the electronics supply chain.</p><p><strong>Get ahead of the risk</strong></p><p>Replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives is one of the most effective ways to reduce risks to human health and the environment. It is also a smart business decision. Safer chemistry can protect workers, lower compliance costs, reduce future liability, and strengthen competitive advantage.</p><p>Companies that act early will be better prepared for whatever comes next, whether that's new regulation, investor scrutiny, or customer demand.</p><p><a href="https://go.electronics.org/saferalternatives-guide"><strong>Explore the updated Guide to Safer Alternatives in Electronics Manufacturing</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraphs-reference field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="page-section paragraph paragraph--type--page-section paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraphs-reference-2 field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="page-section paragraph paragraph--type--page-section paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-terms-reference-2 field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item content-tag content-tag--chemicals-management"><a href="https://www.electronics.org/secondary-categories/chemicals-management" hreflang="en">chemicals management</a></div> <div class="field__item content-tag content-tag--electronics-manufacturing-"><a href="https://www.electronics.org/secondary-categories/electronics-manufacturing-0" hreflang="en">electronics manufacturing </a></div> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=7849&amp;1=rss&amp;2=en&amp;3=&amp;4" token="JBlrAxMk1y2MKT2mkR2wldBi4_3TThqIxguJlt2dtSs"></drupal-render-placeholder><drupal-render-placeholder callback="flag.link_builder:build" arguments="0=node&amp;1=7849&amp;2=bookmark_to_favorites" token="u7qPGDpXd3yQ5q9BzrLnvzLYlplRN9td2P3pLdfoJWQ"></drupal-render-placeholder>

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Global Electronics Association (formerly IPC) - news and market reports RSS · Trade Publication

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22nd October 2026

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