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To harmonise enforcement in each EU Member State and check the current level of compliance regarding obligations imposed on industry by the REACH, CLP and PIC regulations, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) installed a forum which coordinates various enforcement projects. One of the main projects are the REACH-EN-FORCE (REF) projects. The REF-projects are carried out by inspectors based in the national authorities in the participating Member States. The resulting information is collected by ECHA and the Forum Working Group. A final report on the findings of the REF-project is then produced. Ultimately, the goal of the REF-projects is to improve the quality of enforcement in the Member States but also to improve the compliance of registrants with the REACH, CLP, and PIC regulations.

A critical Article by Kotzé and Adelman (2022) contends that sustainable development, deeply entrenched in environmental law, policymaking, and governance, perpetuates environmentally harmful neoliberal economic growth, exploiting and deteriorating fragile ecosystems. Despite its well-intentioned origins, sustainable development often fosters exploitative economic activities, exacerbating systemic inequalities and injustices while failing to adequately safeguard biodiversity in the Anthropocene era.

Environmental and social awareness is becoming the key element of the sustainable tire industry. End-of-life tires (ELTs) are one of the most abundant as well as the most attractive waste from an economic point of view. More than 30 million tons ELTs are generated worldwide annually (WBCSD, 2019) and this waste stream is growing dynamically.

Today, more than 80 percent of the carbon backbone that most chemicals are made of is still derived from fossil raw materials. This means that neither the basic chemicals, which are made from petroleum feedstocks, nor the products made from them are sustainable. The load limits, such as climate change, ocean acidification and integrity of the biosphere, are far exceeded by most chemicals. Some chemicals even exceed Earth's exposure limits by more than 100 times. This is the conclusion reached by the University (ETH) in Zurich in a recent study published in the expert journal Green Chemistry (2021, 23, 9881) in which the most produced 490 chemicals have been analysed through the lens of seven planetary boundaries representing critical biophysical limits that should never be exceeded.

This article deals with the question of whether the scientific recommendations for the development of new modification methods for upgrading recovered Carbon Black (rCB) derived from end-of-life tire (ELT) pyrolysis have not already been (partially) overtaken by industrial practice. This question does not mean that the extensive research on rCB is unnecessary. Quite the contrary! Past and new research results were and are of priceless value for the development of new ASTM approved characterization methods to be able to predict rCB performance in rubber applications in a practical and science-based manner.

Broad renewable emissions and energy targets set by governments and supra-government organisations are finding their way into directives that will eventually become laws or regulations. These laws will have a massive impact on the business models and commercial aspects of a multitude of industry sectors. Staying abreast of how the maze of impending regulations in different global regions will affect business strategies has become a major task for executives. In this series of articles, we aim to alert leaders in our industry at a high level to the developments that will likely warrant further study and ultimately affect their decisions.

In recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved from a peripheral concern to a central pillar in the strategic planning of businesses worldwide. CSR encompasses a company's initiatives to assess and take responsibility for its effects on environmental and social well-being. This shift reflects broader societal changes, including increased public awareness of environmental issues, more stringent governmental regulations, and a growing expectation for businesses to contribute positively to society.

The best available technology (BAT) is the technology approved by legislators or regulators for meeting output standards for a particular process. BAT for a given industrial sector is described in reference documents called BREFs (Best Available Techniques Reference documents). BREFs are the result of an exchange of information between European Union Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organizations promoting environmental protection and the European Commission. This exchange of information is referred to as the Sevilla process because it is steered within the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies of the European Commissions' Joint Research Centre, which is based in Seville. The process is codified into law by Commission Implementing Decisions. The most important chapter of the BREFs, the BAT conclusions, are published as implementing decisions of the European Commission in the Official Journal of the European Union. According to the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), the BAT conclusions shall be the reference for setting permit conditions of (large) industrial installations.

The 2009/28/EC directive, officially known as the "Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources," is a significant European Union directive adopted on April 23, 2009. It has the primary goal of fostering the utilization of renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union, and decreasing reliance on energy imports. Each member state is required to adhere to specific targets for the share of renewable energy in their overall energy consumption. In 2018, the directive was revised and updated through the Renewable Energy Directive 2018 (2018/2001). It solidified the binding national targets for renewable energy in gross final energy consumption and established a unified framework for promoting energy from renewable sources. This framework includes the implementation of support schemes, guarantees of origin, and streamlined administrative procedures.