Wednesdays for the Planet | Cosmetics Coming Clean

Wednesdays for the Planet is a series of online screenings and virtual presentations with experts highlighting the natural world and other environmental challenges our planet faces. The virtual screenings are for educational purposes, non-profit and non-commercial.

Documentary

Cosmetics Coming Clean

Cosmetics are changing. This documentary, presented by Tonic and Little Dot Studios, highlights these changes brought about by concerns from consumers and scientific research. With stories from organic boutique producers and the labs of major manufacturers, the film examines the shifting tide of current cosmetics, always with an eye on how science separates fact from fear.

Online Screening

Experts

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Chemicals and Health Branch | Knowledge and Risk Unit

The Knowledge and Risk Unit of UNEP’s Chemicals and Health Branch gathers, compiles and analyses state of the art information and data, including through monitoring activities, inventories and assessments, to allow policy-makers make informed decisions on the sound management of chemicals and waste. The Unit executes projects and covers topics related to mercury, persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and chemicals in products, among others. The Unit also addresses issues of concern highlighted by governments, such as antimicrobial resistance, and assists in implementing mandates received through the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on the Global Chemicals Outlook II (GCO-II).

In addition, the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership aims to protect human health and the environment from the releases of mercury to air, water and land. With over 200 partners to date from governments, IGOs, NGOs, industry and academia, the Partnership focuses on supporting timely and effective implementation of the Minamata Convention, providing state of the art knowledge and science and raising awareness towards global action on mercury.

Stéphanie Laruelle

Programme Management Officer | UNEP | Chemicals and Health Branch | Knowledge and Risk Unit

Stéphanie Laruelle works as Programme Management Officer with the UNEP Chemicals and Health Branch, Knowledge and Risk Unit, where she coordinates the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership and works on projects aiming at the sound management of chemicals and waste. Stéphanie joined UNEP in 2010 to support the multilateral negotiations process of the Minamata Convention. Prior to joining UNEP, she worked as public affairs officer with Veolia Environmental Services, with a particular focus on EU and French environmental policies and legislation. Her background is in International and European Economic Relations Law as well as International Economics.

Nicoline Lavanchy

Project Development Specialist | UNEP | Chemicals and Health Branch | Knowledge and Risk Unit

Nicoline Lavanchy started to work at UNEP in November 2018 as a Project Development Specialist, working on the lead portfolio. She has been working on implementing projects on lead in paint and used lead-acid batteries and she is part of the Secretariat of the Lead Paint Alliance, together with the WHO. Prior to joining UNEP, Nicoline worked at UNITAR on capacity-building related to artisanal and small-scale gold mining and pollutant release and transfer registers projects.

Victor H. Estellano

Mercury and POPs Monitoring Analyst | UNEP | Chemicals and Health Branch | Knowledge and Risk Unit

Victor H. Estellano S. joined UNEP in November 2017 as a Mercury and POPs Monitoring Analyst, working with the portfolios of the GEF-funded projects Global Monitoring Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and for Mercury, and collaborating with the unit portfolio of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) UNEP’s Advisory Group. Before he joined UNEP, he worked as a post-doc fellow and PhD candidate doing scientific research in RECETOX, Czech Republic, and the University of Siena, Italy.

Wenjia Fan

Junior Professional Officer | UNEP | Chemicals and Health Branch | Knowledge and Risk Unit

Wenjia Fan joined UNEP as a Junior Professional Officer in June 2018. Before joining UNEP, she was working for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China for approximately five years. At UNEP, she has been working on the Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme and has been facilitating a project related to a series of capacity building activities, aiming to assist developing countries in implementing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) on chemicals and waste.

Chantal Van Den Bossche

Communications Coordinator | Women Engage for a Common Future

Chantal Van Den Bossche is the Communications Coordinator at the International Ecofeminist Network Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) and works on building awareness of the importance of a healthy non-toxic environment, from a feminist perspective. Prior to WECF, Chantal worked as a documentary maker, editor and director for various TV and radio programs in Russia, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. She obtained a degree in Russian Language from Gerzen University, St. Petersburg, and a Masters in Eastern European Studies from the University of Amsterdam, where the focus of her research was on the social stigma of AIDS and HIV in the former Soviet Union. She represents WECF at the stakeholder group for REACH and SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) at the Dutch Ministry of Environment and co-wrote WECF publications on Gender and Chemicals and Toxic Free Periods.