Sustainability

Material selection has traditionally been guided by the dual imperatives of performance maximisation and cost minimisation in pursuing engineering excellence. Engineers, designers and manufacturers have long prioritised materials that provide maximum functionality at a low cost, motivated by the imperatives of efficiency and profitability.

However, as the environmental consequences of our material choices become more apparent, there is an urgent and immediate need to incorporate sustainability principles into our material selection processes.

This comprehensive approach, which considers environmental concerns, human behaviour, incentive mechanisms, policies and regulations, standards, laws and institutional frameworks, is not just a choice but a necessity for a sustainable future.

What are Forever Chemicals?

PFAS (Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), also known as the Forever Chemicals, are a large chemical family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals that do not occur in nature.

What are PFOS and PFOA

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are members of a group of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Both PFOS and PFOA are very persistent in the environment and do not occur naturally. PFOS was widely used in the past in products to provide protective coatings to materials.  Manufacture and essentially all uses are now prohibited in the EU. PFOA is still manufactured and is used to produce other chemicals such as fluoropolymers.

PFAS are the most persistent synthetic chemicals to date, they hardly degrade in the natural environment and have been found in people and wildlife all around the world.

What are PFAS used in?

PFAS Chemicals are used in a wide range of consumer products due to their ability to repel both grease and water, including:

-Paper and cardboard food packaging, containers, bags and printed materials.

-Textiles, waterproof, clothing and some fabrics.

-Cosmetics

-Electronics 

How do PFOS and PFOA get into the environment?

PFOA, and in the past PFOS may be released into the environment following production, use or when products containing PFOS are used by industry or by consumers.

PFOA and PFOS may also enter the environment, oceans, rivers, or reservoirs from landfill sites where products and materials that contain PFOA and PFOS that have been sent for disposal.

Regulations

Europe

In addition, several other sub-groups of PFAS are regulated at the European level via the EU chemical regulation REACH. 

In 2023 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the universal PFAS restriction dossier (uPFAS), paving the way for a broad ban of PFAS under the European Union (EU)’s chemical regulation, REACH. The uPFAS dossier proposes to ban the intentional manufacture, import and use of PFAS in the EU.

Global

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a Global international treaty aiming to eliminate or restrict the production and use of the most toxic chemicals of global concern. Currently, three sub-group of PFAS are listed in the convention: PFOS and related substances since 2009 for global restriction; PFOA and related substances since 2019 for global elimination and PFHxS and related substances since 2022 for global elimination without exemptions. 

Climate change is deeply intertwined with global patterns of inequality. The poorest and most vulnerable people bear the brunt of climate change impacts yet contribute the least to the crisis. As the impacts of climate change mount, millions of vulnerable people face disproportionate challenges in terms of extreme events, health effects, food, water, and livelihood security, migration and forced displacement, loss of cultural identity, and other related risks.

Certain social groups are particularly vulnerable to crises, for example, female-headed households, children, people with disabilities, indigenous people, ethnic minorities, landless tenants, migrant workers, sexual and gender minorities, older people, and other socially marginalised groups. The root causes of their vulnerability lie in a combination of their geographical locations; their financial, socio-economic, cultural, and gender status; and their access to resources, services, decision-making power, and justice. 

Poor and marginalised groups are calling for more ambitious action on climate change. Climate change is more than an environmental crisis – it is a social crisis and compels us to address issues of inequality on many levels: between wealthy and poor countries; between rich and poor within countries; between men and women, and between generations. 

The most vulnerable are often also disproportionately impacted by measures to address climate change. In the absence of well-designed and inclusive policies, efforts to tackle climate change can have unintended consequences for the livelihoods of certain groups, including by placing a higher financial burden on poor households. For example, policies that expand public transport or carbon pricing may lead to higher public transport fares which can disproportionately impact poorer households. Similarly, if not designed in collaboration with beneficiaries and affected communities, approaches such as limiting forestry activities to certain times of the year could adversely impact indigenous communities that depend on forests year-round for their livelihoods. In addition to addressing the distributional impacts of decarbonising economies there is also a need to understand and address the social inclusion, cultural and political economy aspects – including agreeing on the types of transitions needed (economic, social, etc.) and identifying opportunities to address social inequality in these processes.

While much progress has been made on the science and the types of policies needed to support a transition to low carbon, climate resilient development, a challenge facing many countries is engaging citizens who may not understand climate change, and garnering the support of those who are concerned that they will be unfairly impacted by climate policies. It is critical that people are brought along in the choices to be made – this requires transparency, access to information and citizen engagement on climate risk and green growth in order to create coalitions of support or public demand to reduce climate impacts and to overcome behavioural and political barriers to decarbonisation, as well as to generate new ideas for and ownership of solutions.

Moreover, communities bring unique perspectives, skills, and a wealth of knowledge to the challenge of strengthening resilience and addressing climate change. They should be engaged as partners in resilience-building rather than being regarded merely as beneficiaries. Research and experience have shown that community leaders can set priorities, influence ownership, and design and implement investment programs that are responsive to their community’s own needs. By understanding the value of diverse forms of knowledge such as scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge in building climate resilience. Innovations in the architecture of climate finance can connect communities and marginalised groups to the policy, technical and financial assistance that they need for locally relevant and effective development impacts.