ECSA has already put six different awareness programmes in place

1. Chlorinated Solvents: Awareness Questionnaire to the Value Chain

ECSA has distributed an 'awareness questionnaire' on the safe use of chlorinated solvents in 2009. The findings were shared with the participants in the Value Chain with one particularly surprising result: no participant was aware of the ECSA storage and handling guidance being freely available on the internet. This result led ECSA to take immediate action with a revision and update of the ECSA Guidance of Storage and Handling of Chlorinated Solvents and wide communication.

2. Chlorinated Solvents: Revised Guidance on Storage and Handling of Chlorinated Solvents

This guidance is intended to help distributors and users of chlorinated solvents to handle those products safely and with care, thus protecting human health and environment against possible negative impact.

In this guidance, ECSA strongly recommends the use of modern closed equipment of Best Available Technology (BAT).

3. Chlorinated Solvents: Revised Safety & Quality Assessment Questionnaire for Distributors of Chlorinated Solvents (ESAD).

With an updated Safety & Quality Assessment questionnaire in 2011, ECSA aims to enhance the overall safety and quality level in the chlorinated solvents distribution chain.

The reviewed questionnaire is applicable to   distributors of the chlorinated solvents perchloroethylene (PER), trichloroethylene (TRI) and dichloromethane (DCM).

The recently launched SQAS 2011 programme has been titled "SQAS: Driving excellence in safe and sustainable chemical logistics".
More information about Safety & Quality Assessment on sqas.org

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4. Dichloromethane: OECD HPV SIDS Commitment

The chemical industry provides the OECD with data and initial hazard assessments for approximately 1,000 HPV chemicals, representing more than 90% of global chemicals production. The information gathered consists of a Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) Dossier, which is a basic set of health and environmental data required for making an initial hazard assessment of HPV chemicals by the member countries of the OECD.

ECSA members are committed to improving the management and knowledge of their chemicals through voluntary initiatives such as the ICCA HPV (High Production Volume) Initiative. ECSA is actively supporting the Swiss authorities in preparing the SIDS Dossier for Dichloromethane and its submission to OECD in 2011.

5. Perchloroethylene: E-DryClean sustainable dry cleaning processing

E-DryClean is an international initiative to create practical and easily accessible education material, especially for the European dry-cleaning industry.

The didactical concept is based on e-learning and/or blended learning. E-learning is a complete digital self-study form of training, presented through a website.

E-DryClean offers six different training modules (best practices and working methods) including a module on Perchloroethylene, for which ECSA was leading partner. The E-DryClean Project groups 15 partners from eight European countries.

The objective of E-DryClean is to improve and adapt the educational level of entrepreneurs and employees working in dry cleaning sectors across the European Union. Read more about this project on http://www.cinet-online.net/edryclean/.

The professional textile care industry recognized ECSA and its partners through its Excellence Award 2010 for this awareness programme of sustainable professional textile care.

Download the CINET Excellence Award 2010 document (pdf)
More information about E-DryClean initiative on cinet-online.net

6. Trichloroethylene: Charter for the safe use of Trichloroethylene

ECSA and the producers of Trichloroethylene (TRI) have worked proactively with the EU authorities to develop a voluntary industry-wide commitment - the "TRI CHARTER". The charter is deemed to ensure adequate control of risks identified in the EU Risk Assessment related to the use of trichloroethylene in surface cleaning by use of closed systems, also for installations not covered by the VOC directive (now IED).

The charter - signed by all European Trichloroethylene producers and an importer - stipulates that latest by end 2010, trichloroethylene will only be supplied for metal cleaning or degreasing if the user has an enclosed cleaning system and has confirmed that trichloroethylene will only and exclusively be used in enclosed cleaning equipment.

Download the TRI Charter document (pdf)