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  4. New article: An Analysis of the Drivers of Substitution of Dangerous Flame-Retardants in Electronics in Sweden

New article: An Analysis of the Drivers of Substitution of Dangerous Flame-Retardants in Electronics in Sweden

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FRAM - Centre for Future Chemical Risk Assessment and Management
Strategies

A preliminary study on drivers of substitution of dangerous flame-retardants in electronics was presented at the 21st Global Conference on Environmental Taxation (GCET) on September 24th.

Reducing the risks that chemical substances may cause for people and the environment can be achieved by the substitution of hazardous chemicals by less hazardous alternatives. While the willingness to switch to safer chemicals has been studied among consumers of products, there is a lack of research on what drives the substitution of chemical substances by manufacturers and intermediate firms.

In this study, FRAM researchers Jessica Coria, Marion Dupoux, and Daniel Slunge surveyed companies that sell, distribute and/or import electronic products in Sweden to investigate firms' preferences and behavior towards the use of safer alternatives to flame-retardants in electronic appliances placed on the Swedish market.

By means of a choice experiment, they were able to identify the relative importance of four levers for chemical substitution, namely health and environmental effects of flame-retardants, chemical regulations in Europe, the final price of the product and a label that discloses tax reductions connected to the use of safer flame-retardants.

The results from the study was presented on the 21st Global Conference on Environmental Taxation on September 24th.

Read the full conference abstract here. 

Global Conference on Environmental Taxation

GCET is the leading global forum for exchanges on the principles and practice of environmental taxation and other market-based instruments for greening the economy and promoting the transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient societies. Participants at GCET comprise academics, policy makers from national governments and international organizations, and practitioners of environmental law and taxation. The central theme of GCET21 was Environmental Taxation in an Era of COVID-19. 

Read the conference program.

Area
Sustainability and
environment
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