REGIStration

Registration to attend in person is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact Amelia Nestler at anestler@northwestgreenchemistry.org.

You may still register for the web-based option for attendance here:

Workshop Description

The Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF) is exploring actions to keep PCBs from entering the Spokane River.  As part of this effort, the Task Force is co-hosting an informational workshop to address inadvertent PCBs in inks and pigments and the downstream products that are manufactured using those inks and pigments. 

The workshop will convene leaders working collaboratively to explore innovative reduction strategies. Invited participants include: SRRTTF members, pigment and ink manufacturers, industries that utilize pigments and inks, downstream suppliers of paper and packaging, industry organizations, nongovernmental organizations, recyclers, procurement experts and regulators.

The workshop is being co-sponsored by the SRRTTF, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and Northwest Green Chemistry (NGC). 

For more information, please contact: Amelia Nestler at anestler@northwestgreenchemistry.org.

Workshop Goals, Objectives and Expected Outcomes

The overarching goal of the workshop is aligned with the SRRTTF’s vision to identify actions that reduce inadvertent PCBs in pigments and inks that have the potential for entering the Spokane River. The intended outcomes of a successful workshop are to:

1. Educate Task Force members on the pigment and ink supply chain, and how PCBs move from manufacture of pigments and inks to the environment

2. Address technology innovation and alternatives to known inks and pigments that contain PCBs – what are the possibilities and what are the obstacles?

3. Explore technical and regulatory options, pilot or demonstration projects, and other solutions, promoting innovation.

The objectives of the workshop are to bring all interested parties together to brainstorm solutions to:

• Reduce the level of inadvertent PCBs in these products.

• Identify best practices and existing alternatives.

• Identify barriers and constraints to alternatives.

• Develop other technical, regulatory or policy opportunities.

• Develop relationships and encourage innovative partnerships.

• Determine measures for implementation.

Whitepapers

Northwest Green Chemistry recently authored two whitepapers that relate to this workshop for the SRRTTF. The first, Inadvertent PCBs in Pigments: Market Innovation for a Circular Economy, provides excellent background material on PCBs, including both legacy and inadvertent, and proposes potential strategic solutions and next steps for addressing inadvertent PCBs. The second, Pigments and inadvertent polychlorinated biphenyls (iPCBs): Advancing no and low iPCB pigments for newsprint, and paper and paperboard packaging, explores some of these potential solutions in greater depth. The workshop, and the working groups that may arise from it, will address the issue of inadvertent PCBs and pigments, considering the potential solutions from these whitepapers and beyond. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the entire supply chain, from pigment to printing ink to printed product, and explore current and potential solutions, such as procurement policies, permit variances, and market drivers.

Workshop Location

Spokane Convention Center, 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
Room 401

Registration

Registration is $100 for two days includes lunch, coffee, and snacks.