EU to drop ban of hazardous chemicals after industry pressure

The German chemicals company BASF said last year that it was downsizing its European operation in part due to ‘overregulation’.

The European Commission is poised to break a promise to outlaw all but the most essential of Europe’s hazardous chemicals, leaked documents show.

The pledge to “ban the most harmful chemicals in consumer products, allowing their use only where essential” was a flagship component of the European green deal when it was launched in 2020.