The "Reports from the Board" are short summaries of the Board meetings and are published in the Mitteilungen of the Division.

The Board of the Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology met on 23 January 2026 at the GDCh Office in Frankfurt. The election of the Board at the end of this year casts its shadow ahead. Some members are leaving the Board and new candidates are being sought for the 2027-2030 term of office. The current Board welcomes feedback and suggestions! A personal introduction of the candidates will take place at the general meeting in the second half of the year In order to bring the topics of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology more into the (academic) discourse, the Board is planning a lecture series (working title UCÖT Lectures). Young scientists (postdocs, junior professorships) are being sought as lecturers to present their topic and thus the Division at GDCh colloquia at various universities. The topic of PFAS continues to be an important topic within the GDCh. In addition to the think tank, a GDCh Commission PFAS is being set up by resolution of the Board of Directors of the Division, which will act as an official body for stakeholders and political actors. The topic of sponsorship for the Division was discussed controversially. A number of points are under discussion and will now be pursued further. The Board will meet again for a digital meeting at the end of March.

On 21 November 2025, the Board of the Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology met for a virtual meeting. Central topics were the preparations for the board election 2026 as well as the concretisation of the planned lecture series to promote younger scientists (postdocs, junior professorships) and to make the topics of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology more visible. An award is to be associated with this lecture series. The other upcoming events in the coming year were also discussed and the specialist input from the Division's topics was discussed. The Board will meet again in January and is looking forward to many reunions and discussions with the members in 2026. With this in mind, the Board wishes you a Merry Christmas and all the best for a happy and eventful New Year!

The Board of the Division met with representatives of the working groups (WGs) on 5 September 2025 to discuss the topics and challenges. The working groups reported on some very successful online sessions, such as the environmental monitoring working group with over 90 participants, while the soil working group is currently looking for new topics to focus on. The atmospheric chemistry working group is planning another online meeting in December, while the chemical assessment working group is organising a face-to-face meeting in Frankfurt in November. During the discussion, it emerged that some topics discussed within the working groups are also of interest to members of other working groups. The Board asked the representatives of the working groups to keep the website as up-to-date as possible and also to use the social media account of the Division. The Board is happy to provide support in this regard.

On 21 March 2025, the Board of the Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology met for a virtual meeting. The main topics discussed were the Division's financial situation, event planning and the visibility of the Division Awards. In the long term, the aim is to increase the Division's financial scope through donations and sponsorship. The submissions for the Paul-Crutzen Award 2025 were discussed and measures to increase visibility were decided. In addition, the establishment of a lecture series was proposed in order to promote younger scientists (postdocs, junior professorships) and make the topics of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology more visible. The planning of the upcoming annual conference "Environment 2025" at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau was discussed. In addition, a possible venue for Environment 2026 has already been found. At a closed meeting in July, the Board of the Division will deal extensively with the topics of "Future of Division Communications" and "Donations / Sponsorships".