In this episode I speak with Jen Vanderhoven, Chief Operating Officer of the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industry Association (BBIA) in the UK. The BBIA is in place to champion the industrial bioeconomy in the UK, and to reduce our reliance on fossil resources to create a sustainable circular economy.

Jen has been making real waves in her role at the BBIA. We have a fascinating conversation covering:

• What is the bio-economy? Why is it needed?
• The history of the BBIA, Jen’s role, and the evolution of the organisation
• The importance of certifications, standards and life cycle assessments
• The case for plastic as a material
• Bringing together different sectors and stakeholders under one roof
• The benefits of collaboration and the challenges of scaling-up
• How the bio-economy could transform supply chains and regional economies
• The UK vision for engineering biology
• Policy barriers and creating a supportive environment for the sector
• The REACH regulation and the implications of Brexit
• The BBIA’s new regulatory network (BB-REG-NET)

BBIA website: Home - BBIA

BB-REG-NET website: BB-REG-NET - Sustainable Chemicals and Materials

In this episode I am joined by Paul Thomas, founder of Kreatis, a company that specialises in developing in silico tools for predicting chemical properties and hazard endpoints.

Join us for an interesting conversation covering:

• Paul’s early career and experiences with building a company
• Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models for predicting chemical properties
• The role of QSARs for reducing animal testing
• The role of QSARs in the new approach methodologies (NAMs) discussion
• The new QSAR Assessment Framework (QAF) and validating predictions for regulatory use
• Publicly available chemical databases and their importance for QSAR development
• Innovation in QSARs, and balancing protecting commercial interests with the need for transparency

More information about Kreatis: KREATiS - Experts in Computational (Eco)Toxicology

The QSAR Assessment Framework: (Q)SAR Assessment Framework: Guidance for the regulatory assessment of (Quantitative) Structure Activity Relationship models and predictions | OECD

Correction:

In this episode, Paul and I discussed the concept of FAIR data, in which I identify the ‘F’ term as ‘freely available’. The correct term is 'findable' (FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). More information on the FAIR principles can be found here: https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/

In this episode I am joined by Claire Walker, Head of Global Regulations and Product Safety at bio-economy startup Holiferm. We discuss Clare’s career journey and her role at Holiferm, where the process of fermentation is being harnessed to produce biosurfactants to replace fossil-derived ingredients across a wide range of products.

We also discuss Clare’s work in mammalian toxicology and regulatory compliance, the contrast between working in a startup vs a multinational corporation, the regulatory challenges facing start-ups in the bioeconomy, animal testing and the friction between the EU cosmetic products and REACH regulations, the new hazards under EU CLP, evolving regulatory processes and the need for dialogue, and other topics.

Holiferm website: holiferm.com

Welcome to the first episode of the Chemical Journeys podcast.

The issue of chemicals in the environment is a story.

A story that brings together both the natural and social sciences. A story about the Earth, humanity and individual journeys.

Hear about scientific and policy developments around chemicals in the environment and their impact on the chemicals sector and society as a whole, and look to what the future might hold.

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References:
Building Trust and Momentum on the Road to a Safe and Sustainable Chemicals Sector