New Global Antioxidants and Light Stabilizers Alliance (GALA) to Support Science-Based Regulatory Engagement 

August 2026: A new global industry group, the Global Antioxidants and Light Stabilizers Alliance (GALA), has been created to strengthen industry advocacy and support the safe and sustainable use of antioxidants (AOs) and light stabilizers (LS).

Representing AOs and LS producers and stakeholders, GALA aims to provide a unified, science-based voice to support policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders in making informed decisions about these important substances. Building on the strong foundation set by the former European ELiSANA^[1] initiative, GALA has a significantly expanded geographic reach and membership base.

In contrast to ELiSANA’s primarily European membership, GALA brings together a growing network of 20 companies from around the world, thereby expanding the industry's ability to engage with regulators and strengthening its capacity to support advocacy activities. This global expansion reflects the growing need for coordinated industry engagement as chemical regulatory frameworks continue to evolve across regions. GALA will support collaboration among member companies, strengthen science-based regulatory engagement, and help ensure that decisions affecting AOs and LS are based on robust technical information.

GALA is led by a steering committee of experienced industry professionals, including Chair Thomas Schmutz (SONGWON), Vice-Chair Mira Cancara (BASF) and Secretary Dieter Drohmann (Consortia Management GmbH, a subsidiary of the Chemservice Group). Together they bring extensive expertise in regulatory advocacy product stewardship, and international industry collaboration to the alliance.

GALA will begin its work by establishing three task forces covering strategically important additive families used in plastics, coatings, adhesives, rubber and other polymer applications. These task forces will provide a coordinated platform to organize data, engage stakeholders, and support proportionate, science-based regulatory decisions. Additional groups will follow based on regulatory priorities.

Commenting on the establishment of GALA, Thomas Schmutz, Leader Technology, Regulatory Affairs & Sustainability at SONGWON, said: “I’m very pleased to be involved in establishing this global platform to represent the AOs and LS industry. With international membership and a strong leadership team, we are well positioned to engage effectively with regulators and relevant supply chains to promote the safe and sustainable use of these essential substances worldwide.”

Mira Cancara, Product Stewardship Regulatory Specialist at BASF and Vice-Chair of GALA, added: “Through my work with ELiSANA, I am proud to have contributed to laying the foundation for GALA and guiding its transition to a global platform. As Vice-Chair, I look forward to fostering collaboration across the value chain and advancing the industry’s regulatory and advocacy efforts.”

Summarizing GALA committee’s focus, Dieter Drohmann, CEO of the Chemservice Group said: “With many years of experience managing international alliances and regulatory initiatives, my aim is to ensure that GALA’s activities are coordinated effectively and provide members with a strong, globally aligned voice in regulatory discussions.”

The Steering Committee is supported by a Technical Committee, with Henry Luo as Chair, Director Application Technology at Rianlon, and two Co-Chairs: Lucy Pan, Product Manager at Disheng, and Olga Lemke, Global Product Stewardship Solutions at BASF.

Henry Luo commented: "GALA members unite the collective expertise on AOs and LS to address the product challenges our industry faces. Through dedicated task forces focused on specific technical topics, we will generate the scientific data that will drive better decisions across our industry."

For more information on GALA’s activities or membership, please contact: contact@gala-alliance.org

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GALA
Herrnsheimer Hauptstr. 1b
67550 Worms
Germany

+49 6241 95480 12

www.gala-alliance.org