RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENABLE ECONOMIC
GROWTH FOR THE DETERGENTS AND
MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
Brussels, 1 December 2016 – A.I.S.E., the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products, brought together a wide range of stakeholders at its first Cleaning and Hygiene Forum yesterday. The Forum addressed the competitiveness and economic growth of the industry, as well as existing barriers to operate with representatives of the EU institutions, poison control centers, academia and value-chain partners.
A.I.S.E. President, Arndt Scheidgen, stated: "Competitiveness of the industry must be at the forefront of all EU policies. This requires a fairer and deeper internal market. Unfortunately, our companies are too often confronted with a patchwork of different interpretations of EU legislation in the member states. We therefore call onto the European Commission to make sure EU legislation is interpreted equally across Europe”.
Mr. Scheidgen continued: "In addition, the Commission report on the Cumulative Cost Assessment for the EU chemicals industry demonstrates that administrative costs disproportionately affects our industry. Higher cost of implementing legislation has strong implications for innovation because resources dedicated to legislative compliance are no longer available for research and development”.
The latest industry report which quantifies the socio-economic benefits provided by the sector was presented during the conference. The report shows that the industry directly supports 95 000 jobs in the EU and 360 000 jobs throughout the value chain. In addition to the €35,7 billion total market value, the study also finds that the industry generates €24,6 billion gross value added through the value chain. As a substantial contributor to the European economy, the industry increases productivity for companies, as well as bringing numerous benefits to society: ensuring essential hygiene at home and in public, protecting our health, enabling convenient lifestyles, preserving goods and installations and keeping our homes clean.
A.I.S.E. Director General, Susanne Zänker concluded: "Our industry’s vision is to prosper by acting responsibly, and being a role model for serving society in an innovative and sustainable way”. She continued: "Our political manifesto, our key recommendations to EU policy-makers and yesterday’s rich exchange reinforce A.I.S.E’s committment to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to implement a coherent and effective framework for the benefit of end-users, the environment and society at large”.
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