Topic Sheet: Criteria for Chemicals

Over 13,000 chemicals are associated to plastics (UNEP 2023), of which many are of concern. They cover additives, monomers, processing aids and non-intentionally added substances. Different approaches may be followed to identify those chemicals and prioritise them as they could be subject to control measures. This topic sheet provides an overview of potential criteria which may be useful to consider and highlight a selection of prioritisation methods.