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Killer Quote: "Without the federal regulatory system working, or the EPA working effectively, the states step up. And the challenge when the states step up is each of them apply different regulations. There's 50 regulations that potentially have to be monitored, understood, complied with." —Victoria Meyer
Welcome to The Chemical Show™, where chemicals mean business. If you're looking for insights from business leaders of mid-market to Fortune 50 companies, this is the place to be.
Featuring interviews with industry executives, you’ll hear about the key trends impacting chemicals and plastics today: growth, sustainability, innovation, business transformation, digitalization, supply chain, talent, strategic marketing, customer experience and much more.
Episodes are published every Tuesday.
Host Victoria Meyer gained her industry experience at leading companies, including Shell, LyondellBasell and Clariant. Before taking those insights and experiences to launch a strategy & marketing consultancy, Progressio Global, and The Chemical Show podcast. Victoria brings a informed and engaging perspective, making this podcast not just about the chemical business, but about people, leadership, business challenges and opportunities, and so much more.
The Chemical Show brings you the latest insights into trillion-dollar chemical industry. You will hear from leading industry executives as they discuss their companies, business, markets, and leadership. You’ll learn how chemical, specialty chemical, petrochemical, material science and plastics companies are making an impact, responding to the changing business environment, and discussing best practices and approaches you can apply in your business.
This podcast is a must-listen for executives and business leader everywhere, leading B2B process businesses and industries, driving strategy, harnessing customers and suppliers, and driving business innovation.
Victoria: Hi, this is Victoria Meyer.
Welcome back to the Chemical Show
where Chemicals Means Business.
Today I am sharing with you
Five Key Themes for 2025 for
Household and Commercial Products.
So what is this all about?
This is a highlight
and compilation episode.
I recently returned from the HCPA
annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
First of all.
What is HCPA and why should I care?
So the HCPA is the Household and
Commercial Products Association.
It represents 180 billion in products
that are used for cleaning, protecting,
maintaining and disinfecting
our homes and our commercial
environments, whether they're
offices, stores, hospitals, et cetera.
At home, these are many of the products
that you have under your sink, in your
cleaning closet, whatever you've got.
Um, so cleaning products,
antimicrobials, pest control, and more.
So what I thought was really interesting
about this is, it's not just about
the, well, it is a lot about the
finished products themselves, but
there's also the chemicals and the
other ingredients that are part of this.
If you are a fan of how stuff is made and
there's a few different shows on that,
then HCPA is a fascinating place for you.
I've actually doing something unique
this time in that, I've recorded a
bunch of individual interviews with HCPA
staff and some of their board members.
Those interviews are available on
the Chemical Show's YouTube channel.
Um, yes, if you didn't know
this, it is a podcast and yes,
we have a YouTube channel.
YouTube is actually one of the
biggest podcasting, outlets today.
It's a growing place.
Um, so go check those interviews out
at youtube.com/thechemicalshowpodcast.
And if you just search for The Chemical
Show podcast, you're going to find
it, but you can also direct link there
and we will make sure there's a direct
link for you in your show notes.
And once you get there,
number one, subscribe.
If you're not already subscribing to The
Chemical Show on YouTube, you definitely
should do that because there's some
great content that will out for you on a
regular basis, not just what we publish.
On our audio podcast, but also
some, special stuff, just like
we're doing this week with HCPA.
Um, and also when you go out there,
you're going to want to check out some
of the HCPA leaders, including Steve
Caldeira, who is the president and
CEO of HCPA, Steve Bennett, Nicholas
Georges, Molly Blessing, and Mike Gruber.
So a lot of great
conversations that I'm sharing.
especially for you.
So here we go.
Five themes.
And these are themes I picked up both
from the staff members, but also from
the attendees and member companies
during sessions and during breaks, right?
So there's a lot of things
that are really relevant to you
both as an individual consumer.
I found personally fascinating some of
these aspects as well as business leaders.
Overarching all of this, and I think
is so critical, just kind of an
overarching theme for HCPA itself is
around safety, efficacy, um, appropriate
use and transparency, both of the
products and of the regulations, right?
So that, those are some themes that are
just so critical to the products that
we have in our homes and businesses,
and really are critical to making, to
ensuring that they're feasable That
we're actually able to produce and
sell and buy and distribute and what
have you as well as the safe usage.
So that is one of those themes that
maybe it was an overarching theme and
underpinning theme, certainly throughout.
Um, and in fact it's not
actually one of my five themes.
So my five themes.
numbers.
Number one, Effective Federal.
EPA, Regulations and appropriate
EPA Appropriations funding, right?
Why without funds, the
EPA is understaffed.
We know that we've seen this.
In fact, we've seen this quite a
lot over the past few years, right?
Slow approvals for new products.
Especially when we think about all
the sustainable products that we are
trying to deliver to our customers.
So, um, a more effective EPA.
It actually ends up being
better for the industry, right?
So a lot of companies are relying on
EPA Safer Choice for transparency.
Consumers rely on EPA Safer Choice.
Um, we talked about things like PRIA,
which is the Pesticide Registration
Improvement Act, something that
has to get done every four or five
years, um, as well as TSCA reform.
In fact, so I'm going to
share a couple of clips here.
So The first is from Steve Caldeira,
who is the president and CEO, and
he talks about some of the key
themes for HCPA as it goes forward,
which include PRIA and TSCA reform.
what are your priorities today?
Steve Calderia: Well, um,
certainly TSCA reform.
As passed in 2016, President
Obama signed that in June of 2016.
Um, certainly the Pesticide Registration
Improvement Act, is only authorized
for 5 years, so it's, uh, we're working
on PREA 6, um, and increasingly,
issues have moved to the state.
EPR, Extended Producer Responsibility,
and including household hazardous waste.
So we're trying to deal with these
increasing issues, our recycling,
microplastics, air quality, uh, et cetera,
and, the states are increasing, um,
California, Oregon, Mass, Connecticut, uh,
Washington State, um, and the like, so.
Victoria: Yeah, there's a lot, and
there's a lot of activity going on.
And what strikes me about some
of this is, uh, you know, all the
topics that you've talked about.
I think they're not just
in the industry discussion.
They're also out in the
general public, right?
Um, and many of these products touch
individuals and consumers, right?
They're in our homes, they're in our
offices, they're in our buildings.
So how do you, you know, is, how do you
guys navigate maybe, Not just across
the industry and administration, but
as you think about consumers, where
does the consumer influence come in?
Steve Calderia: come in?
Well, um, like I said, we,
collaborate with unique stakeholders,
including industry, NGOs.
Um, we just don't say no to a,
regulation or proposed legislation.
And we do it on behalf of our
member companies so they can provide
innovative More sustainable, cleaner,
greener products to our, consumers.
Victoria: And then the second clip I'm
going to share with you is my conversation
with Steve Bennett, who is the EVP
of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs.
And, and the question I asked Steve was.
Aren't we done with TSCA reform?
Hasn't it been reformed already?
And the answer to that is yes and no.
One of the things we've been
talking about a little bit is TSCA.
And, uh, you're going to have to give
us the definition of TSCA because I
can never get that definition right
or what the acronym stands for.
But I honestly thought TSCA was done.
I thought we agreed on TSCA and yet I'm
really learning that's not the case.
So can you talk about, first of
all, what does TSCA stand for?
And secondly, what are we trying
to accomplish with TSCA today?
Steve Bennett: TSCA, or the
Toxic Substances Control Act,
originally passed in 1976.
I'm not going to say where
I was at that point in
Victoria: point in
Steve Bennett: was reformed in 2016.
That point in time was a, the industry
and the environmental community came
together to address needs in TSCA.
Because, you know, a 40 year old
regulation had never been updated.
It needed some It needed some
fine tuning, a lot of fine tuning.
One of the biggest drivers at
that point in time, um, was
restoring confidence in the EPA.
When there's a lack of confidence in
the EPA, other stakeholders, being
states, um, primarily states are going
to help step in to address that lack of
Victoria: confidence.
And we certainly heard a
lot about that as well in,
Steve Bennett: and, you know, I like you
know frankly in the intervening years
since 2016 I was very EPA has not been
able to, fully restore that confidence.
Certainly there's periods of time when
the NGO community has not been happy
about where the EPA's direction and
there's certainly times, clearly now
where industry is not happy with the
EPA and, that's made it particularly
challenging for industry, you know, to
get what, get done what they need to do.
Victoria: and I certainly hear a lot from
companies I talk to is they're introducing
new products that it's just difficult.
To get a new product introduced,
even though we apparently really
want some of these products.
Can you talk more about
Steve Bennett: that?
Yeah, so if you have a product in the
marketplace and you want to replace an
ingredient or completely reformulate your
product, you're going to have to have
a new ingredient in some way, shape or
form a more sustainable, more durable,
new product qualities, you know, some
way, shape or form, you want to have that
newer chemistry and to get that newer
chemistry that has to be approved by EPA.
And that's been by far one of the
biggest challenges getting that
approved in a reasonable amount of
time and in a manner that you could
be able to market it in the market and
sell that product in the marketplace.
And at the same time, you're also
running the challenges with The
current chemistry that is out there,
that has a distinct advantage.
Um, you know, it's already
in the marketplace, so you've
got to compete against that.
So that has made it challenging
for companies to get those newer
chemistries into the marketplace.
The more sustainable,
improved ingredients is
Victoria: yet products
are getting phased out.
Steve Bennett: Yes, and you look, you
know, probably saw headlines in the, you
know, the New York Times and Washington
Post this week on a couple chemicals
that have legacy chemicals, mostly legacy
chemicals that the agency is phasing out.
In many cases that's appropriate.
Victoria: So has TSCA been effective in
helping to phase out those chemicals?
Steve Bennett: Yes and no..
It's certainly trying
to move the marketplace.
Um, but it's been a long, it's a
long process and it takes a lot
of information, a lot of data,
uh, to move those appropriately.
But if you're going to rephase out
a particular chemistry, it'd be nice
if there's a replacement for that
particular chemistry because many cases
it's filling, filling a critical need.
Victoria: The second key theme
is around navigating state
regulations and driving alignment.
So one of the things that goes along
with having an effective or ineffective
federal regulatory, um, system.
platform through the EPA and elsewhere
is When the federal government
is less effective and our federal
systems are left less effective.
Let's talk about the EPA it leaves
the door open for the states to
take action and They have, right?
So this proliferation of state
regulations, whether it be, um, EPR,
extended producer responsibility,
we're going to talk about that a
little bit more, or elsewhere is
it's really burdensome, right?
And so certain states have,
become very active with this.
So not just California.
And I think we think about
California, uh, as I, I certainly
think about California as having
driven this for a long time, right?
If you think about like the labels that
are on your mattresses and pillows,
a lot of it is driven by California
regulations, but we're also seeing
this with Oregon, Minnesota, Maine,
other states, um, maybe jockeying
for position to take the lead, right?
Because as one state.
It sets regulations, many others start to
follow, and I'm going to bring in a clip
here from Mike Gruber, who is the EVP of
government relations and public policy,
who talks about why this matters and why
this is a priority, um, not just for HCPA,
but also for its member companies, just
in trying to navigate state regulations
and driving alignment across that.
Mike Gruber: we just want to make sure
that government agencies, whether it's
the federal agency or state agency,
actually is functioning well and doing
the job they need to do, but making sure
they're doing it in a way that we can
get innovations to market, and, uh,
that there's a process through which
we can provide formal comments and
they're considered, uh, and that we have
working relationships with regulators,
both at the federal and state level.
Well,
Victoria: Got it.
Well, and so I think that, that federal
and state balance is interesting
because it seems like, and we were
talking just before we hit the record
button, that that balance has shifted
and it's shifted significantly in
the past several years at least.
Can you talk about
Mike Gruber: Yeah.
So when I started out, when I left Capitol
Hill in 2012 to become a federal lobbyist
for The Consumer Brands Association, which
at that time was grocery manufacturers.
My prime primary work was federal.
Um, it's where we could, work on
legislation that would say have a
federal preemption provision to try and
prevent states from, you know, going
haywire and passing multiple packaging,
labeling requirements that would create
it, patchwork problem for the industry.
Um, you know, over time, we have seen
states really almost race to be the
strongest regulator on ingredients,
on packaging, on sustainability
measures in the chemical space.
So, you know, 10, 12 years ago, what
was 100 percent federal for me has
now become probably 85 percent state.
Victoria: With this navigating state
regulations, one of the big topics,
um, and this is not a theme, but
it just kind of ties into our state
regulations piece is around EPR,
extended producer responsibility.
We're hearing about this a lot, right?
So EPR is here and companies
need to be prepared.
So what is this all about?
Um, and it's really about packaging.
Uh, we think about it a lot of
times it's plastic packaging.
It also applies to aerosols and, um, and
it's about putting the responsibility
for end of life of these packaging
materials back on the producers.
It's a lot of tracking, and
reporting, and navigating this.
Uh, and so, You know, this is
an area that, um, HCPA and its
members are very focused on.
In 2025, three states
are requiring reporting.
So this is what's critical about this.
So Oregon, Colorado and California
each have implemented EPR laws
that are taking effect now, 2025.
So if you're not ready,
get ready, stay tuned.
My third theme that comes out of HCPA
is around sustainability and innovation.
So this sustainability is really
a key theme across the board.
The industry, right?
And so HCPA is, uh, uh,
is no different there.
I'm going to share a clip
from Molly Blessing, who is
their VP of sustainability.
Um, and Molly and I talked about just the
importance of lightweighting of packaging,
greener and more sustainable products.
The ability to have effective recycling.
So if you think it kind of these things
start linking together, we talked about
EPR and EPR as it relates to packaging.
One of the focus areas is
around aerosol recycling.
And Molly talks about this focus to drive,
um, aerosol recycling access rate to 85%.
So again, access is important.
Controlling the individual is a
little bit trickier, but one of the
themes is really around focusing on
making, uh, products and accessibility
for recycling and accessibility for
sustainability, um, more available
and easier to engage with and take on.
I'm including a clip here from Molly.
Molly: We have three
big picture focus areas.
So I should say for us, we take
a very product centric approach.
We don't necessarily get into the high
level corporate reporting requirements.
We were focused on what product is
reaching the end consumer or the end user.
How do we make that better?
How do we make that better in
a way that's tangible to them?
So we have three different focus areas.
One is the sustainable chemistry.
So what's actually going into
that product formulation?
The second is the packaging.
So what are we, what materials are
we using to package that product?
How are we doing that?
Um, is it perhaps set up in a system
that incentivizes reuse or refill?
Is it set up in a way that reduces
the weight of the packaging?
Could we perhaps use more recycled
content, less virgin material?
Those kinds of questions are what
we're asking on the packaging side.
And that's been a really
big focus area for us.
I would say of our three, that's been the
one to take it by far the most attention.
Victoria: And I know that
you've talked about aerosol
recycling and the focus there.
Molly: Exactly.
Yeah.
So we, we started.
aerosol recycling initiative with our
partner, our sister trade association,
the Can Manufacturers Institute, CMI.
We launched that back in May of 2022.
That initiative has two goals that
are both quantitative and time bound.
So by 2030, we're aiming to increase the
aerosol recycling access rate to 85%.
So that's making sure that exactly that
that 85 percent of the population has
access to recycle their empty aerosols.
Which would be a pretty big jump
from where we are right now.
I mean, so the most recent numbers
we had from the sustainable
packaging coalition were just above
Victoria: We have Which is still, that's
better than I would have expected,
Molly: I should say though, we
recently had a revamp methodology
that looked at just more specific
messaging that dropped us down to 39.
So there's, there's a ways to go there,
but we also have some very great ideas for
how to make progress, including talking
to the Murphs that are, Perhaps more
resistant to accepting aerosols and making
sure that we're addressing the safety
concerns that they have on that end.
Yeah,
Victoria: Yeah.
Well, and then, of course, one of the
big challenges, and I know that this
is something that HCPA is interested
and concerned about, as well as your
member companies, is really extending
it to the consumer, because really,
even myself as an educated consumer,
I get confused as to what I'm allowed
to do, what I'm not allowed to do,
what I can recycle, what I can't.
And so I think that whole education
process along, um, Through to
the consumers becomes critical.
Molly: that's a great segue to our
actually, first of our second goal for the
aerosol recycling initiative, which is to
have 90 percent of aerosols labeled with
information about their recyclability and
also how to appropriately recycle the can
Victoria: So the fourth theme that
comes out of HCPA, and this to me
ties to transparency and safe use.
And this one is around just monitoring
and systems that are getting put in place
around use and the misuse of products.
So the misuse of products was actually
quite high as a conversational area.
In particular misuse of aerosol products.
So, um, there's a lot of conversation
around dusters, which is like
the high compressed thing.
I'm looking at my computer here.
You know, the aerosol cans that
may be used to clean your computer
keyboard and other things.
Real concern about the misuse of
those aerosol products that people
are acquiring them, um, and huffing
them is I guess the technical term.
Is that a non technical term?
I'm not exactly sure.
Uh, it's basically to get high, right?
And it's a problem, right?
Because it's, as you and I both
know, we spend a lot of time, effort,
and resources to make sure that the
products and whether they're chemical
products, whether the finished goods
that we create are safe and effective.
For their intended use.
And then you have to guard against
misuse, which is a challenging area.
Because how do you guard against
human's creativity to, I guess, do
things they're not supposed to do.
So anyway, this is an area of focus, um,
an area of conversation and continued
focus for HCPA and its member companies.
I've got a clip here
from Nicholas Georges.
Talking about navigating this
So the other thing you touched
on is this misuse of products.
And I know from, uh, the conversations
I had with folks yesterday, certainly
in the aerosol committee, that
was a big topic of discussion.
And I guess in my naive world, I didn't
realize it was such a big issue, but just
the sheer misuse of aerosol products as
people are Trying to get high, I guess.
Um,
Nicolas Georges: was, yeah.
Victoria: what's the role
of HCPA in this, right?
So, I mean, we go through all the
efforts trying to produce products
that are effective, safe, um,
understand what the uses are, et
cetera, et cetera, complying to state
and federal and local regulations.
And then there's misuse.
So, HCPA come into that?
Some
Nicolas Georges: So this is a topic
we've been working on for decades, and
we've had some successes, but we've
also seen rises in the uptick of people
abusing these types of products again,
unfortunately, the aerosol industry
back in the nineties came up with a
voluntary stand to have enhanced labeling.
Uh, toe to warn users and the
general public about the dangers of
intentionally abusing these products.
You know, when you want to concentrate
a vapor, you're displacing the oxygen.
That's gonna have an
effect on your system.
Whether it's your brain, your lungs,
your other systems within your body.
Victoria: Right.
Nicolas Georges: That's just
gonna be the natural reaction
that's gonna take place there.
And, you know, the displacement
of oxygen, that's the euphoric
high that you're getting there.
Victoria: Got it.
Nicolas Georges: Now, you're talking
about products that are convenient.
And readily available for low cost.
And that's what makes these, among
other consumer products, very
attractive to those that seek the
Victoria: warning.
Now that
Nicolas Georges: that warning, you
know, for, for the uneducated, that
warning is to say, oh, don't do this.
But the reality is the people that
are seeking this behavior and the
reason why HPA works with substance
abuse experts is to, to recognize the
warning isn't to, to deter the, the use.
Because the people that are
seeking that behavior, they
already know that they can do
this.
Victoria: do this.
They can go
Nicolas Georges: to, and whether
it's, it's, they can't get.
Product A, they're just going
to go to product B or product C,
whatever they can get their hands on.
It's to warn the loved ones in
their lives, though, when they
see 12 cans in the bedroom or the
Victoria: the car.
Nicolas Georges: What's happening
Victoria: is
Nicolas Georges: Why is this taking place?
And when you see these enhanced warnings
that aren't required by government,
that we're doing ourselves because
we know there's an issue, that's
part of the discussion to hopefully
educate them from that standpoint.
Um, because so much of
this is just awareness.
Victoria: My fifth and final theme
is around watching and waiting
for the new administration and the
effects that that is going to have.
So the Trump administration
takes seat in January and.
New administrations are
not a new thing, right?
Every four years, the U S has this
opportunity to, um, have some changes
on Capitol Hill and in the White House.
So there's always this expectation
as it relates to government agencies,
the EPA, for instance, about how,
what changes are going to take place.
So we know there's been a lot
of vocalization of new ways
of working that are expected.
So consideration here, and it weighs
certainly on the conversations within
each HCPA and across its member companies.
What new ways of workings come to bear?
Um, there's been a lot of conversation,
of course, in the public discord
around the role of tariffs, right?
And whether the 60 percent tariffs
That had been suggested for China apply
that has a big significant financial
implication and then really the thing
that I heard a lot of Conversation around
is DOGE and what the effect of doge
is and doge if you don't know is the
Department of Government Efficiency Gonna
be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
And a real concern about what that
means for the EPA and Um, and the
funding for the EPA, the, uh, the
impact that that has, because again,
one of the themes that comes through,
and I talked about it early on and it
comes through here at the end, is this
need for transparency and alignment.
Without the federal regulatory system
working the EPA working effectively
the states step up And the challenge
when the states step up they each
are applying different regulations.
There's 50 regulations that potentially
have to be monitored understood complied
with um, Nicholas George when I talked
with him a bit and in fact, we may um,
you're going to want to go over and
look at the youtube video for that one
because we had some A number of great
conversations, number of things that
came through, um, was just one of the
challenges, of course, is you can have
something that is maybe a state puts in
place a regulation, but it's actually
doesn't comply with a federal regulation.
So we get a lot of misalignment.
So that was a conversation that came
through with everyone, whether it was
Mike Gruber, Nicholas George, Steve
Caldeira, is this whole concern a frankly,
by the way, not just those guys, but
people across the organization that
were there, the several hundred people
about what the effect is of watching
and waiting for the new administration,
the new rules that are coming in,
how the EPA is going to be funded and
frankly, what it means for business.
So, um, Those are my themes.
I really, again, I really encourage you
to head over to our YouTube channel.
So you can just search for The Chemical
Show podcast on YouTube and you're
going to find it or the direct link
is youtube.com/thechemicalshowpodcast,
and you will find all of our
episodes, some special things.
And, as it relates to the conversations
I had at HCPA's annual meeting, you're
going to find a number of interviews
with HCPA leaders right there.
It's short and sweet,
10 to 15 minutes each.
So go in and listen and learn more
about what those priorities are and
how, um, that you're taking effect and
how they are affecting the chemical
industry, all the other products and
industries that are part of HCPA and more.
So that is it for today.
Thank you for listening.
Keep listening, keep following,
keep sharing, and we will
talk with you again soon.