ICCA
Plastic Additives
Database

Improving transparency and supporting sound management of additives

Additives Play an Important Role

They provide many important benefits to plastics and can help us move towards a more sustainable future. Additives can extend the life of a wind turbine that is regularly exposed to the elements, increase the effectiveness of packaging to protect food from spoiling, save energy by lightweighting products, strengthen and increase the flexibility of medical products for use in healthcare environments and increase the durability of numerous products so they last longer and can be reused.

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) understands there are questions and concerns about additives in plastics. To help answer those questions and provide greater transparency, ICCA is developing a Plastic Additives Database that builds upon the UN Environment Programme’s Chemicals in Plastics Technical Report.

In many parts of the world, there are strong regulatory frameworks in place for chemicals, including chemical additives in plastics. ICCA’s Plastic Additives Database will leverage the extensive information and resources from those systems, bolster that material with data from additive manufacturers, and publicly share the contents in a user-friendly format. The information will include:

  • The identification, use and function of additives that are currently in commerce or that have been in commerce for the past 10 years.
  • Available hazard classifications of an additive.
  • Reference/citation to existing chemical management laws regulating specific additives.

As the database aggregates large datasets of complex information, it will be rolled out in phases with version 1 released in November 2024.

This overview is intended to provide more information about the database and the information it contains. Subsequent versions of the database will have more data components, and changes may occur to improve the database’s functionality, utility, and user experience.

Searching for an Additive

A user of the additives database will be able to search for additives with the following parameters:

  • CAS Registry Numbers®
  • Chemical name
  • InChiKey (International Chemical Identifier)
  • Additive function (e.g., UV stabilizer, heat stabilizer, etc.)
  • Industrial sectors using additives (e.g., automotive, food packaging)
  • Polymer type

Additive Search Results

The database will have multiple outputs that convey a significant amount of information on specific chemical additives, see the examples below:

Additive Overview
  • Data sources: industry survey data, SpecialChem, PLASI, UNEP Chemicals in Plastics Technical Report
  • Function(s) of additive
  • Sector(s) and application(s) additive is used for.
  • Polymer(s) additive is used in
Additive Chemical Identity
  • Name and preferred name
  • Molecular formula
  • Unique identifiers (e.g., CAS No., InChI Key)
  •  Verification by manufacturers of additive use in commerce
  • Deleted CAS Numbers


Additive Physical Chemical Properties
  • This page contains significant information on an additive’s physical and chemical properties, some examples of the properties ontained on this page include:
  • Melting, boiling and flash points
  • Water solubility
  • Vapor pressure
  • Density
Additive Use Information:

The Use tab provides additional information about an additive’s use in commerce. It specifies whether the use information has been identified by industry survey data and/or UNEP data. It includes:

  • Function of substance
  • Polymer type additive has been reported in
  • Industrial sector(s) using additive
  • Regions / countries where substance is registered / notified
Classification and Labeling

Here a chemical’s hazard properties are listed based on countries and regions that have made a classification or the Globally Harmonized System of Classification & Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). It includes information as to whether an additive is classified as:

  • Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, and/or Reprotoxic
  • Toxic in aquatic environments and/or toxic to specific organs with repeat exposure (STOT-RE)
  • Respiratory and/or skin sensitizer
  • Other classifications like persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT)

The database will also have the GHS and regional classifications as reported in the UNEP Chemicals in Plastics report



Regulatory Information of Chemical

  • Regulatory status of additive by existing chemical management programs/laws across major parts of the globe
Hazard

The Hazard tab contains the predicted environmental fate and transport of an additive. Ecotoxicity and Mammalian Toxicity will be available in subsequent versions of the database.

Subsequent versions of ICCA’s Plastic Additives Database are envisioned to contain additional information, including:

  • Exposure and risk information, including links to publicly available assessments conducted by authoritative bodies (e.g., US Environmental Protection Agency, Health Canada)
  • Ability to integrate into a fit-for-purpose risk assessment tool to enhance informed decision-making by users across the value chain including recyclers and regulators.
  • Additional specificity on laws/regulations in country/jurisdiction regulating additives.

Watch a video tour of ICCA’s Plastic Additives Database

Check out the quick preview here:

Governments, regulators, academia and other relevant stakeholders may register to access the database at iccadatabase.com.

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