EU abandons promise to ban toxic chemicals in consumer products

Exclusive: Plan to outlaw all but the most vital of harmful chemicals is not included in leaked policy proposals

The EU has abandoned a promise to ban all but the most vital of toxic chemicals used in everyday consumer products, leaked documents show.

Other legislation to be dropped includes a ban on the export of outlawed chemicals from Europe to the rest of the world, a ban on caged farming and a sustainable food systems framework that the European Commission once described as a flagship" of its farm to fork strategy.