Moving away from animal testing: how new methods can support chemical safety

The European Commission published its roadmap for phasing out animal testing on 1 June 2026, and the first meeting of ECHA’s Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing has now taken place.

In this episode, we explore what these developments mean for regulators, researchers and industry. Tomasz Sobanski from ECHA explains how new approach methodologies (NAMs) are moving from research into regulatory use, and why the transition requires more than replacing individual tests.

The discussion looks at how the EU roadmap is expected to drive implementation across legislation, and how ECHA contributes through scientific and regulatory expertise, international cooperation and the collaborative platform.

The episode features perspectives from the EPAA, PETA and HEAL on regulatory acceptance, confidence-building, animal welfare, and maintaining a high level of protection for human health and the environment.

Useful links

• ECHA convenes first meeting of its collaborative platform on alternatives to animal testing

• ECHA supports EU roadmap for alternatives to animal testing with new collaborative platform

• Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing and related materials

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Disclaimer: Views expressed by interviewees do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Chemicals Agency. All content is up to date at the time of publication.

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