The Swedish government has decided to start an investigation to analyze and submit proposals on how a tax on harmful chemicals in clothes and shoes can be designed. The FRAM researcher Daniel Slunge will be part of the expert group.
As part of the action plan to reach the Swedish environmental quality objective Non-toxic environment, a new government inquiry has been initiated. The purpose is to develop a proposal of a tax that reduces the presence of hazardous chemicals in clothes and shoes.
– We are now starting an investigation on tax on harmful chemicals in clothing and shoes. The reason is simple. We want to get rid of the poison from our clothes, not least the children's, says Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson in a press release from the Swedish Government.
The FRAM researcher Daniel Slunge will be part of the expert group and is looking forward to participate in the investigation.
– Taxes and fees have been used very little as policy instruments in the chemical field. But experiences from, for example, Norway and Denmark show that even low fees can have quite a large impact on the use of hazardous chemicals. A great challenge in both the introduction and the follow-up of the tax is to find the right information about the amount of hazardous chemicals in clothing and shoes.
The other members of the investigating group are:
Special investigator: Loman, Gabriella
Expert: Bergman, Åke
Expert: Berntsson, Viktoria
Expert: Bertell, Hanna
Expert: Gisselman, Fredrik
Expert: Gärdström, Tomas
Expert: Hansson, Mats-Olof
Expert: Lönn, Robert
Expert: Nikkarinen, Magnus
Expert: Stewart, Alexandra
Expert: Wallin, Maria
Expert: Westman, Linnea
Secretaries: Forsell, Jerker and Niklewski Nilsson, Elin
The investigation is expected to end on April 1, 2020. Here you can follow the results [in Swedish]: Kommittéberättelse Fi 2019:01 utredningen
Read more in the press release [in Swedish]: "Utredning om att beskatta skadliga kemikalier i kläder och skor"