The Safer Chemistry Impact Fund (SCIF) has called on investors to use robust chemical hazard disclosure tools to better manage the immediate financial risks associated with companies under regulatory pressure or facing potential legal liabilities from the use and production of hazardous substances.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A first-of-its-kind report released today warns that chemical hazards in corporate supply chains are becoming a serious—and largely unmeasured—financial threat to investors. The 21-page study reveals that most companies still fail to disclose the full extent of toxic chemicals in their products, leaving portfolios vulnerable to lawsuits, reputational damage, and regulatory shocks.

Published in EHN

In February 2025, consumers reacted to reports that toxic flame retardant chemicals had been found in black plastic spatulas made from recycled plastic. Sales of black nylon utensils plummeted over 20%, while sales of stainless steel and silicone products soared 13% and 70%.

This sharp consumer reaction highlights a truth: Investors are exposed to financial risk from chemical hazards that many companies fail to identify, disclose, or address. The result is financial exposure that can be sudden, severe, and avoidable.

The vision of a circular economy, where resources are perpetually recycled, and waste is a relic of the past, faces many practical challenges. One of the least discussed is how to deal with toxic content that is ubiquitous in present day materials - the feedstocks of a circular economy. This is evident from the agenda of the nation’s premier circular economy conference, Circularity 2025, where it is conspicuous by its relatively small role. Jon Smieja, Vice President of Circularity at conference convenor Trellis Group, is himself an evangelist for the “Safe and Circular” approach, notes: “My sustainability roots are in green chemistry and it was my primary responsibility for the better part of 10 years. The challenge is that not everyone connects the need for safe materials with the need for a circular economy yet. We have to be very intentional about how we break down those silos and connect these two important pieces of the sustainability puzzle.” 

Beauty Inside and Out: Catalyzing Safer Beauty Products Marketed to People of Color

Feb 25

The Safer Chemistry Impact Fund (SCI Fund) has awarded one of its first grants to a collaboration of environmental health groups for a project to catalyze safer beauty and personal care products by engaging with brands marketed to communities of color. We learned a lot from this proposal and asked Danielle Mangabat, Environmental Health Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, to share some of the insights that make this initiative so compelling. This is an edited summary of our conversation.

Safer Ingredients Make Strides in the Beauty Industry, but Challenges Remain

New report quantifies the use of safer chemistry in consumer products, moving beyond “bad lists” to set a new standard for accountability

Washington, DC, October 22, 2024 – Today, the Safer Chemistry Impact Fund and  ChemFORWARD released the first "Beauty & Personal Care Ingredient Intelligence Report.” The report, which analyzed 8,500 products, showcases the groundbreaking collaboration among major beauty retailers, brands, and ingredient suppliers, including Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Credo, Beautycounter, The Honest Company, Inolex, and Dow, to define a standard for safer chemistry and measure progress. 

Washington, DC August 28, 2024
The Safer Chemistry Impact Fund (SCI Fund), an innovative blended capital initiative aimed at eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals and accelerating the transition to safer chemistry, proudly announces its inaugural Request For Proposal (RFP).

Washington, D.C., August 21, 2024

The Safer Chemistry Impact (SCI) Fund, an innovative blended capital initiative with seed funding from Apple and Google, released the first-of-its-kind metrics framework to measure and drive the adoption of safer chemistry across industries. The report, titled

"Accelerating the Transition to Safer Chemistry: Establishing a Collective Vision & Impact Metrics,"

The Safer Chemistry Impact Fund, an innovative blended capital initiative aimed at eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals, proudly announces its inaugural grant to ChemFORWARD, a pioneering science-based non-profit organization committed to creating broad access to chemical hazard data.

Bill Walsh, a nationally recognized non-profit leader in safer chemistry, will lead the first-of-its-kind fund to mobilize investment in safer chemical adoption to benefit people and the planet.

Safer Chemistry Impact Fund launches to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals.
With seed investment from Apple and Google, the first-of-its-kind fund aims to mobilize investment in safer chemical adoption to benefit people and planet

February 28, 2024 - Windward Fund today announced the launch of the Safer Chemistry Impact Fund with seed investments from Apple and Google. The new fund aims to raise at least $15 million over the next five years to accelerate industry’s transition to safer chemistry.