ACD Responsible Distribution™ is built on continuous improvement. For decades, ACD members have not only met compliance standards, but they’ve gone above and beyond what is required. This is integral to our core identity and makes us true leaders in the chemical distribution sector.
Part of this mission requires ACD and our members to stay up-to-date on the latest policy conversations in Washington and across local statehouses so that we can be prepared to meet the expectations of an ever-evolving regulatory landscape.
Right now, our industry is watching the evolution of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and its impacts on policy and public opinion. The MAHA movement has called for stronger protections from perceived “harmful” chemicals. MAHA has pushed chemical exposure and chronic disease into the center of the national health conversation, fueling the potential for impacts on chemical policies like the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
As many of our members know, TSCA is the U.S.’s primary chemicals management law and guides how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates new and existing chemicals to protect human health and the environment. The intent of the program is to implement an effective, science-based, and predictable regulatory system.
In recent years, however, MAHA has helped shift TSCA from a technical regulatory statute to a perceived public health tool. One of MAHA’s core goals—reducing toxic chemical exposures—aligns philosophically with stricter TSCA enforcement, including narrower risk assessments and more limited use of science?backed data. This shift has created tension between the administration’s commitment to common-sense regulatory reform, and the tighter controls MAHA supporters advocate for.
Across federal and state levels, MAHA aligned agencies and lawmakers are signaling interest in increased oversight, while other policymakers continue to push for flexibility and practical reforms, particularly within TSCA.
Earlier this year, both the House and the Senate released draft legislation for TSCA reform with the hopes of returning the program to its intended function. While each chamber’s proposal differs in a few notable ways, both bills are aligned in making TSCA more linear and less nuanced for the industry and closing confusing loopholes. These bills have broad support from the chemical distribution industry as they provide clarity and certainty on regulatory requirements.
For those in the distribution industry, the practical takeaway is to stay ahead of requirements currently under TSCA review, be aware of public scrutiny, tighten contractual expectations, be cautious with health?related marketing claims, and expect enforcement on reporting and recordkeeping to matter.
Our members deserve clarity and consistency if they are to remain competitive today and into the future. While the MAHA movement might require only minor pivots and adjustments today, there is the possibility that this movement will become a larger policy conversation. That’s why it’s important to keep this conversation on our radar and stay alert of the evolving calls to action.
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