ICCA Expands Plastic Additives Database to Strengthen Transparency and Support Sound Chemicals Management

Published on August 7, 2025August 7, 2025

Enhanced tool confirms approximately 4,500 additives in commerce and incorporates risk assessment data from regulatory authorities around the world

Geneva (7 August 2025) – The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) has made significant updates to its Plastic Additives Database, a global resource designed to support the sound management of plastic additives. These updates reinforce the chemical industry’s commitment to transparency and responsible chemicals management.

Alongside these enhancements, ICCA released a new analysis (PDF download) identifying 4,549 plastics additives in commerce today, 94.5% of which are on at least one major chemicals regulatory inventory. Furthermore, 90% of the plastic additives verified in commerce have readily accessible toxicological data to help inform a risk assessment, challenging claims of widespread data gaps on plastic additives.

Additives are chemicals used to enhance the performance of plastics to make them more durable, flexible, and resistant to heat, UV, and other environmental stressors. They help optimize materials for specific uses and reduce waste by extending product life and functionality.

ICCA developed its Plastic Additives Database using UNEP’s Chemicals in Plastics Report as a foundation, then collaborated with manufacturers worldwide to confirm additive use and identify additional substances. This proactive effort underscores industry’s commitment to transparency and its role in making essential chemical data publicly available. To provide a comprehensive and inclusive resource, the database contains robust information on nearly 13,400 chemicals associated with plastics—even though far fewer (4,549) are currently used in commerce as plastic additives.

The latest update also expands user access to risk assessment data from chemical regulations such as TSCA in the U.S., REACH in the E.U., AICIS in Australia, and many others around the globe. With a single platform, one can identify additives, understand where and why they are used, and access critical information to guide risk-based regulatory decisions.

“With these updates, ICCA’s Plastic Additives Database is the most comprehensive international resource of its kind,” said Marco Mensink, council secretary of ICCA and director general of Cefic. “By aggregating and sharing this information on plastic additives we are supporting capacity building efforts and more informed chemicals management worldwide. This shows our industry’s commitment to transparency and to strengthening global chemicals management.”

The Plastic Additives Database provides governments, especially those without established chemical management systems, centralized, quality-checked information to support regulatory decision-making on plastic additives. It also serves as a resource for researchers and NGOs to access verified and scientifically sound information on plastic additives.

As governments participating in the global plastics agreement negotiations (INC-5.2) consider how to address chemicals in plastics through a proposed international framework, it is important that these efforts align with existing national and international regulatory systems. ICCA’s database supports this goal by responding to calls for greater transparency and providing science-based information to strengthen both established and emerging chemical regulatory systems.

The database is part of ICCA’s broader commitment to transparent, science-based policymaking and support of the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC). Specifically, it directly enables the second strategic objective of the GFC, which calls for comprehensive information to be generated and made available to enable informed decisions and actions by governments and regulators.

ICCA continues to enhance the Plastic Additives Database through ongoing updates and new features. Governments, regulators, academia, NGOs, media and other relevant stakeholders may register to access the database at iccadatabase.com.

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International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) is an association of innovators, visionaries, solutions providers and product stewardship pioneers. Through ongoing innovation in chemistry and the constant improvement of safe chemicals management, the global chemical industry makes a significant contribution to a sustainable society: improving human health, protecting the environment, and delivering prosperity worldwide.