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European Unions (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization (Restriction) of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation

REACH is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. It also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances in order to reduce the number of tests on animals.

In principle, REACH applies to all chemical substances; not only those used in industrial processes but also in our day-to-day lives, for example in cleaning products, paints as well as in articles such as clothes, furniture and electrical appliances. Therefore, the regulation has an impact on most companies across the EU.

REACH places the burden of proof on companies. To comply with the regulation, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They have to demonstrate to ECHA how the substance can be safely used, and they must communicate the risk management measures to the users.

If the risks cannot be managed, authorities can restrict the use of substances in different ways. In the long run, the most hazardous substances should be substituted with less dangerous ones.

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on 1 June 2007.

REACH establishes procedures for collecting and assessing information on the properties and hazards of substances. Companies need to register their substances and to do this they need to work together with other companies who are registering the same substance.

ECHA receives and evaluates each registrations for their compliance, and the EU Member States evaluate selected substances to clarify initial concerns for human health or for the environment. Authorities and ECHA's scientific committees assess whether the risks of substances can be managed.

Authorities can ban hazardous substances if their risks are unmanageable. They can also decide to restrict a use or make it subject to a prior authorisation.

 

REACH

Registration Process :

To minimize animal testing and data fee for each registrant, REACH encourages data sharing among all registrants by the joint submission of registration data to ECHA. The main principle of REACH is “one substance, one registration”.

During joint submission process, one of the member among the manufacture of same chemicals nominate himself as lead registrant and the lead registrant or REACH consortium will do most of the work such as data collection, development of technical dossier and Chemical Safety Report (CSR), and submission of joint registration dossier to ECHA. Other co- registrants only need to pay the lead registrant or consortium a fee to refer to the joint registration dossier and then prepare the individual part of the registration dossier in IUCLID6.

REACH TIMELINE :

Post 31st  May’2018, Deadline all chemicals are treated equally and chemicals which were not registered within REACH with European Chemical Agency will not be allowed to be marketed or manufactured within EU.

 

Registration Dossier:

A registration dossier consists of two parts: Technical Dossier and Chemical Safety Report.

1. Technical Dossier
  • Identity of manufacturer/importer;
  • Identity, volume and identified uses of substance;
  • Classification and labelling;
  • Study report and robust study summaries according to Annex VII to X (physiochemical, toxicological, eco-toxicological properties, );
  • Testing proposal;
  • Statement whether tests have been carried out on vertebrate animals;
2. Chemical Safety Report (> 10 ton per year)
  • Human hazard assessment, physicochemical properties assessment, environmental hazard assessment and PBT/vPvB assessment;
  • Exposure Scenario is required if classified as dangerous or PBT/vPvB; Ÿ operational conditions and risk management measures for each use; exposure estimation

The total registration costs mainly consist of three parts:

Data fees paid to lead registrant or Consortium to purchase letter of access to refer to the common parts of registration dossier. The fee is tonnage dependent. Data fee varies from substance to substance. It is fixed by consortium or lead registrant. It is also tonnage based.

OR consultancy fees paid to OR to advise the whole registration process and prepare the individual part of registration dossier in IUCLID 6. The service fee covers SIEF/consortium communications, data gathering, IUCLID 6 dossier preparation and submission.

ECHA fees paid to European Chemical Agency. The fee is dependent on the annual tonnage of the substance and company size. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) enjoy discounts on ECHA fees (Euros).

Roles and responsibilities of REACH Only Representative :

In accordance with the Article 8 of REACH, the OR takes on the obligations of importers under REACH, in which case importers will be regarded as downstream users (thus do not need to register). Those obligations include:

  • Maintain pre-registration /registration data (company identity, annual tonnage, etc.) submitted to ECHA through REACH-IT.
  • Communicate with the downstream users (EU buyers).
  • Represent Non-EU company in SIEF/Consortium after pre-registration and keep them informed of the latest progress of SIEF/Consortium.
  • Supply Safety Data Sheets or transmit SDS along the supply chain and keep information on the supply of the latest update of the SDS.
  • Communicate with EU importers and regulatory authorities and issue necessary documents to ensure REACH compliance.
  • Keep an up-to-date list on the inventory of importers and the tonnage covered for each of these importers and keep the above information for at least 10 years and provide it to enforcement authorities upon request.
  • Registration, notification and authorization of substances (additional contract needed).

Substances exempted from the REACH Regulation

  • Radioactive substances
  • Substances under customs supervision
  • Substances used in the interest of defence and covered by national exemptions
  • Waste
  • Non-isolated intermediates
  • Transported Substances

Substances exempted from registration

  • Substances included in Annex IV of the REACH Regulation
    • Annex IV lists a number of substances for which it is understood that sufficient information is available to consider them as causing minimum risk to human health and the environment. These substances are typically of natural origin and the list of exempted substances includes, for example, water and nitrogen.
    • The list is largely based on the exemptions from Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 on risk evaluation of existing substances, although more substances were added. The registration exemption applies to the substance as such, not to a particular use.
  • Substances covered by Annex V of the REACH Regulation
    • Annex V lists thirteen broad categories of substances for which registration is deemed inappropriate or unnecessary. The registration exemption applies to the substances as such, if they meet the conditions for the exemption which are given in the particular category of Annex V.
    • Certain substances that are adequately regulated under other legislations, like substances used in food, animal feed, or in medicinal products, where the relevant criteria are met. Quantities of the same substance used for other uses than food, animal feed, and medicinal products are not exempted from registration.
  • Polymers are exempted while the monomer substances or any other substances they consist of must be registered provided certain conditions are fulfilled.
  • Recovered substances that are already registered
  • Re-imported substances
  • Substances used in product and process orientated research and development (PPORD)

For each category mentioned above, there are specific conditions under which the exemptions from registration under REACH apply, which need to be fulfilled to benefit from the exemption.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is an agency of the European Union which manages the technical and administrative aspects of the implementation of the European Union regulation, REACH. The Agency contributes to a well-functioning internal market and the innovation and competitiveness of the European chemicals industry.

ECHA develops independent scientific and technical opinions and takes binding decisions to ensure that chemical companies comply with European law. The Agency plays an important role in reducing chemical pollution in the EU. Together with the EU Member States and the European Commission, ECHA ensures safer chemicals use in Europe by improving the available data, disseminating and checking it, as well as proposing risk management measures when needed. The Agency also contributes to sustainability and circular economy.

An independent Management Board governs the Agency. It is composed of representatives from EU Member States, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and stakeholder organisations.

The registration obligations under EU-REACH apply to EU manufacturers and importers of substances on their own or in mixtures in quantities of 1 TPA or more. Furthermore, they apply to EU producers and importers of articles in case that the article contains a substance in quantities over 1 TPA and the substance is intended to be released under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use of the article. The registration obligation does not apply to downstream users or distributors.

The registration obligations of importers can be taken over by an Only Representative (OR) established in the EU and appointed by a manufacturer, formulator or article producer established outside the EU.

Any manufacturer, importer, or where relevant downstream user, may, whilst retaining full responsibility for complying with his obligations under this Regulation, appoint a third-party representative for all proceedings involving discussions with other manufacturers, importers, or where relevant downstream users. In these cases, the identity of the manufacturer, importer, or downstream user who has appointed the representative shall not normally be disclosed by the Agency to other manufacturers, importers, or, where relevant, downstream users.

The size of the authority fee depends on the type of submission. The fee for registration can be found in Table 11. Fee reductions further apply to MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises). The criteria for MSMEs is given in Table below.

Registration Authority Fee under EU-REACH

Tonnage Band (TPA)

Micro size

Small size

Medium size

Large size

1-10

€ 65

€ 457

€ 848

€ 1304

10-100

€ 175

€ 1227

€ 2279

€ 3506

100-1000

€ 469

€ 3282

€ 6094

€ 9376

> 1000

€ 1264

€ 8846

€ 16428

€ 25274

 

Criteria for MSME under EU-REACH

Category

Headcount

Annual Turnover

Annual Balance Sheet Total

Medium

< 250

≤ € 50 million

≤ € 43 million

Small

< 50

≤ € 10 million

≤ € 10 million

Micro

< 10

≤ € 2 million

≤ € 2 million

When declaring SME (micro, small and medium enterprise) size and claiming the SME fee reductions, a registrant must upload a complete set of supporting documentary evidence to ECHA.

Request for Quote

Under Annex VIII to the CLP Regulation, importers and downstream users placing hazardous mixtures on the EU market are to provide specific information on their mixtures to appointed bodies. The annex also specifies a harmonised format for notifications. The information contained in the notifications will be used by poison centres for emergency health response purposes in case of incidents involving these mixtures.

The obligation applies to mixtures placed on the market that are classified for human health or physical hazards.

Note that biocidal products and plant protection products are within the scope of this obligation, and the information submission requirements apply in addition to other obligations under the Biocidal Products Regulation and Plant Protection Products Regulation.

Exemptions

The obligation to submit information does not apply to mixtures considered hazardous only due to environmental hazards. Mixtures exempted from the submission requirements include also:

  • radioactive mixtures;
  • mixtures subject to customs supervision;
  • mixtures used in scientific research and development;
  • medicinal and veterinary products, cosmetic products, medical devices and food and feeding stuffs; and
  • mixtures only classified as gases under pressure and explosives.

 

 

For all ‘new’ products not already notified under national legislation, you must submit the required information before you place the mixture on the market. Submissions should be made in the harmonised format, according to the relevant date of applicability. The date of applicability depends on the use type, i.e. the end user, of the mixture:

1 January 2021 for consumer or professional use;

1 January 2024 for industrial use.

Before these dates, mixtures may be subject to existing national requirements and duty holders should contact the appointed body in the country of interest for further information.

  • Legal entities on behalf of duty holders, such as consultant, mother company, i.e. ‘Foreign user’

  • Importers or downstream users of mixtures out of scope i.e. a voluntary submission

  • Legal representative of non-EU suppliers can also submit through the EU legal entity

 

  1. Guidance on PCN requirements

  2. Assess the portfolio to identify the

  • Notification Requirements

  • Trade names and Brand

  • Country specific variations

  • Use specific variations

  • Components specific variations

  1. Possibility to group and optimize the Notifications

  2. Generate the UFI core for the Mixture

  3. Verify the UFI in cases of Mixture (external) in Mixtures

  4. Inventory data to support classification & Labelling of Mixture

  5. Guidance on Packaging – type, and size requirements

  6. Update SDS to harmonized with Poison Centre Notified information

  7. Revised and updated PCN Notification submission

  8. Portfolio management in PCN portal

Request for Quote

Any chemical material/object containing chemicals placed into EU market need to comply with the REACH regulation. The chemical substances have the registration obligation whereas objects/articles containing chemicals have separate set of obligation.  

The Database for Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex Products (SCIP) was established under the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) that aims to reduce hazardous chemicals in waste and promote safer alternatives. It is part of the EU’s waste legislation package, contributing to the EU's circular economy policy. 

The SCIP database ensures that the information on objects/articles containing Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) is available throughout the whole lifecycle of products and materials, including at the waste stage.  

The following substances may be identified as SVHCs:  

  • Substances meeting the criteria for classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) category 1A or 1B in accordance with the CLP Regulation. 

  • Substances which are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) according to REACH Annex XIII. 

  • Substances on a case-by-case basis, that cause an equivalent level of concern as CMR or PBT/vPvB substances. 

Once a substance is identified as an SVHC, it is included in the Candidate List. The inclusion in the Candidate List brings immediate obligations for suppliers of the substance as per Article 33(1) of the REACH regulation, such as: 

  • supplying a safety data sheet 

  • communicating on safe use 

  • responding to consumer requests within 45 days and 

  • notifying ECHA if the article they produce contains an SVHC in quantities above one tonne per producer/importer per year and if the substance is present in those articles above a concentration of 0.1% (w/w). 

From 5th January 2021, information about articles containing substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in a concentration above 0.1% weight by weight (w/w) on the EU market must be submited to ECHA. From this date onward all EU producers, Assemblers, importers, and distributors (inside EU only) must notify to the SCIP database. 

* substances of very high concern (SVHC) for human health and environment 

From 5 January 2021, article information should be communicated. To successfully notify your article to the SCIP database there are several categories for which information needs to be provided: 

Category 1: Information on Article. 

  • Information to identify the article (Identifiers): 

  • Article name (mandatory) 

  • Primary article identifier (EAN, GTIN, catalogue number, part number) (mandatory) 

  • Other names and identifiers (optional) 

 

  • Information to categorize the article (Categorization): 

  • Article category (CN/TARIC code) (mandatory) 

  • Production in the EU (required but not essential) 

 

  • Characteristics that help to identify the particle article 

  • picture, (optional) 

  • dimensions, (optional) 

  • color, (optional) 

  • weight (optional) 

 

  • Safe use instructions: how do you use this article safely? 

  • Option 1: Provide safe use instructions (free text)  

  • Option 2: Select “No need to provide safe use information beyond the identification of the Candidate List substance”  

  • Disassembling instructions (optional) 

 

  • Complex object component (only applies to complex objects): 

  • Linked article (add a link to an existing article or create a new article to link with this complex object) 

  • Number of units of the linked article in the complex object. 

 

Category 2: Concern elements (SVHC) 

  • Candidate list substance  

  • Concentration range, incl > 0.1% by weight and < 100% by weight 

  • Material category and/or Mixture category (EUPCS) 

  • Additional material characteristics. 

Request for Quote

1. Did the EU ban Single-use plastics?

Yes, the EU has banned single-use plastic products to reduce the danger these non-recyclable products pose to our environment.

2. What is the new EU Single-use Plastic Directive about?

The new EU Single-use plastic directive is a further clarification of guidelines made by the European Commission on the regulation of single-use plastics in the European Union. This directive applies to all member states within the EU. This new directive was issued on 31st May 2021, and it is what we refer to as an explanatory manual with detailed examples of products included or excluded from this regulation.

3. When is the new directive’s deadline?

The Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) was approved in May 2019, and by 3rd July 2021, the ban on single-use plastic products and marking requirements will come into force.

4. Are all plastics referred to as Single-use plastics?

No. According to the directive, plastics refer to materials that consist of polymer to which additives or other substances might have been added. Also, this can function as a primary structural component of final products, excluding natural polymers that have not been chemically modified.

Also, Single-use plastics are products made with plastic and used one time before being thrown away: no hope of reusing or recycling them. Single-use plastics are also known as ‘disposable plastics’.

5. What are the marking requirements provided by the directive?

From 3rd July 2021, all single-use plastic products placed in the market will have a marking, either on the packaging or the product itself. This marking only applies to the products that were listed in part D of Directive 2019/904. These products are sanitary towels, tampons, tampon applicators, wet wipes, tobacco products, and cups for beverages. Read more here.

6. Who are the affected parties?

The EU directive on Single-use plastics applies to all member states within the EU. However, non-EU countries are not bound by this regulation at all.

7. Which Single-use Plastics are specifically banned?

Here is a list of the banned single-use plastics:

  • Plastic straws
  • Plastic plates and cutlery
  • Beverage stirrers
  • Balloon sticks
  • Cups, food, and beverage containers made with expanded polystyrene
  • Products made of oxo-degradable plastic
  • Plastic water bottles
  • Plastic shopping bags

Although there are some significant plastic product exemptions, they are food containers that require further preparation of the food before it can be consumed, beverage cups & lids, and plastic bottles of over 3 liters.

To get a complete list,contact us at compliance@gpcregulatory.com

8. Why EU Single-use Plastic Directive?

Plastic now makes up 80 to 85% of marine litter, and of this, 50% are single-use plastics. The main objective of SUPD is to reduce and further prevent the impact these plastic products have on the environment, especially our human health and aquatic environments. It will also help the Member States have an extensive reduction in the consumption of these products by 2026, 2022 being the base year, that is, the first year in the years to follow.

9. What other options do food manufacturers and retailers have as replacements for plastic spoons used with single-serve containers?

Starting from 3rd July 2021, only cutleries approved by the directive will be allowed in restaurants, events, and retailers. The approved ones include paper and wooden cutleries that have no poly in the board or coating.

10.What is the next step to take (if there is any action point (s)?

  • Yearly report by member states to the European Commission. 77% of single-use plastic products in the market must be recycled by 2025, and 90% of it by 2029.
  • Member States need to put in place measures that will guarantee that single-use plastic products are no longer placed in the market starting from 3rd July.
  • Member States should see to it that affected products are replaced with affordable alternatives.
  • According to the list provided by the directive, Member States must ensure that concerned single-use plastic products placed in the market bear a marking either on them or their packaging.

Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD)

On the 31st of May 2021, the European Commission released a new directive on single-use Plastics. The new EU Single-Use Plastic Directive aims to make further clarifications about plastic products that fall within that category and give further explanation about its regulations and policies. 

The new directive further mentions the reporting format to be used by member states and the deadlines for submitting their reports to the commission. The directive applies to every product considered as single-use plastic within the EU.

By 3rd July 2021, the ban on single-use plastic products and marking requirements will come into force.

GPC prepares a summary report for your reference. Download it here

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Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), also referred to as “emerging contaminants”, include a range of chemical substances from diverse applications, ranging from medicines, personal care, household cleaning products, lawn care, agricultural products, among others.

The toxicity of POPs has been long investigated, and researchers found that these chemicals may have long-range mobility and long-lasting duration, leading to environmental contamination and pollution. POPs are often classified as Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) with hormone disruption consequences, bioaccumulation and biomagnification through the food chain. The presence of POPs in the environment and in human health can lead to several complications, from mild effects to more serious consequences, for example, reproductive disruptions and immunological disorders.

Since POPs are not easily broken down, a characteristic that guarantees its continuation in the environment, the contaminant consequences are still being investigated. In other words, the emerging contaminants are mainly not from new pollutants that recently entered the environment. Instead, there is a good understanding of contaminants, but the consequences to their exposure are still being discovered.

Countries have created a set of rules and regulations to regulate, control, and mitigate POPs use and its effects on the environment and on human health. The essence of these legislations is to eliminate the production, trading, and use of such chemicals, including storage and waste management.

International effort in addressing POPs starts in the late 1990s. The initial protocol to address POPs was implemented in 1998, signing 16 chemicals to phase out according to previously established risk criteria. The Aarhus Protocol also impose parties to reduce their emissions below 1990 levels.

The Stockholm Convention is an international conference specifically for POPs proposed in May 2001 in Sweden (complementing the Aarhus Protocol), entering into force in 2004. Among the objectives, the Stockholm Convention aims to:

  • Prohibit, eliminate, and restrict several POPs in the production, use, import, and export.
  • Ensure that waste containing POPs is managed safely and in an environmentally sound manner.
  • Promote tools for information exchange, public access, awareness and education, research, development and monitoring, reporting, and implementation of plans to fight POPs pollution.

The Stockholm Convention is considered the main international instrument to address POPs. Most countries adhere to the Stockholm Convention.

The EU is a party to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Air Convention (renamed in 2020; previously the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)). The Air Convention’s 1998 Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants obliges parties to reduce emissions of certain POPs and has banned or restricted the use of some compounds.

In 2001, the Stockholm Convention was adopted, building on the Aarhus Protocol to act on POPs at the international level. These pieces of legislation are implemented in the European Union by the POPs Regulation (Regulation EU 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning Persistent Organic Pollutants - POPs).

The POPs Regulation reflects the international framework proposed by Aarhus Protocol and by the Stockholm Convention in the European Union. The main objective is to protect human health and the environment with specific control measures that:

  • prohibit or severely restrict the production, placing on the market and use of POPs
  • minimize the environmental release of POPs that are formed as industrial by-products
  • make sure that stockpiles of restricted POPs are safely managed; and
  • Ensure the environmentally sound disposal of waste consisting of or contaminated by POPs.

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) makes available a database to list substances subject to the POPs Regulation. The list can be accessed here.

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In February 2022, the European Commission (EC) proposed a draft on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD). This draft aims to create a just and sustainable economy with legislation that guarantees respect of human rights and environment in global value chains.

 

The EC Directive would apply for the following categories of companies:

  • Group 1: All Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) based in the European Union, which have more than 500 employees and has a net turnover worldwide of more than 150 million Euros.
  • Group 2: EU based Limited Liability Companies acting in high impact sectors, which have more than 250 employees and a has net turnover worldwide of more than 40 million Euros. For these companies rules will start to apply 2 years later than Group 1.
  • Non-EU companies active in the European Union and with a turnover threshold aligned with Group 1 and 2, generated in the EU.

The companies must integrate due diligence into their company's policy. Furthermore, companies should investigate and identify actual or potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts Thus, preventing any potential impact or minimizing it. Moreover, companies are asked to set up and maintain a complaints procedure. Hence, monitoring effectiveness of the due diligence policy. Finally, companies should announce publicly that they are committed and following due diligence.

 

The EC Draft Directive suggests sanctions for those companies that do not comply with this legislation. The sanctions are not specified but they should be effective, proportionate and dissuasive Thus, in case that a company fails to meet its Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) obligations and would cause any damages, the company would be liable for those damages.

 

The EC Directive will been presented to the European Parliament and the European Council for approval. Once adopted each Member State has two years to transpose the Directive into national law.

Companies need to act in accordance with the following steps in order to comply with the EC Directive:

  1. Identify their company suppliers and define the nature of the connection between the supplier and the company.
  2. Create HREDD policies and procedures and implement them into the company policy.
  3. Set up a checklist for the company’s suppliers and assess their human rights and working environment.
  4. Set up a program to regularly assess the human rights and working environment and conditions of the company’s suppliers.
  5. Implement a system to take corrective action and manage it.
  6. Create a system to manage compliance and respond to complaints.

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Detergents are chemicals with intrinsic properties that have the potential to pose risks to human health and the environment. In order to be placed and move freely on the EU market detergents need to comply with Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 (the ‘Detergents Regulation’) from 2004. The regulation contains labelling and biodegradability requirements and phosphorous limits. 

The Detergents Regulation provides key provisions and harmonises rules that ensure the free movement of detergents and surfactants for detergents in the internal market while at the same time protecting the environment and human health. These rules apply to both consumer detergents (detergents sold to the general public) and to industrial or institutional detergents (detergents sold for professional use).

In particular, the Detergents Regulation harmonises the following rules for detergents and surfactants of detergents:

  • limitations on the content of phosphorus and phosphorus compounds in consumer laundry and CADD;
  • labelling requirements for detergents;
  • specific biodegradability criteria that detergents and surfactants for detergents need to comply with;
  • restrictions or bans on surfactants on grounds of biodegradability; and
  • the information that manufacturers must hold at the disposal of designated public bodies and medical personnel (ingredient data sheet)

 

On 28 April 2023 the European Commission put forward a proposal for a revised Regulation on detergents and surfactants that would amend Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repeal Regulation (EC) No 648/2004. The new proposal introduces digital labelling and product passports for detergents and surfactants, new requirements for cleaners containing micro-organisms as well as rules for refilled detergents. This proposal updates the existing rules in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the recently adopted Commission Communication on the long-term competitiveness of the EU.

 

The revised Regulation will ensure that the EU rules specific for detergents remain complementary to the general provisions applicable to chemicals i.e. the CLP Regulation and the REACH regulation. The revised Regulation puts forward the following changes:

Introduction of safety requirements for micro-organisms in detergents: New innovative cleaning products that use the action of micro-organisms have recently been developed. The revised Regulation will introduce safety requirements for micro-organisms in detergents. Furthermore, manufacturers must label the presence of micro-organisms in the detergents. This will allow these products to move freely in the Single Market and contribute to protecting human health and the environment since they may be alternatives to harmful chemicals.

Introduction of product passports: A product passport that contains compliance information will be introduced which will reduce the amount of non-compliant detergents and surfactants on the market in the EU. A detergent that is presented at customs can only be released for free circulation ad placed on the market if it has a corresponding product passport. National inspectors will continue to be responsible for carrying out checks on products, although a new IT system will screen all digital product passports at the external borders.

Introduction of voluntary digital labelling: For pre-packaged products some of the mandatory labelling information may be move to a digital label. For refillable products all labelling information may be provided digitally – except for dosage instructions for consumer laundry detergents.

Introduction of rules for refilled detergents: Under the revised Regulation refilled detergents are subject to the same rules as pre-packaged detergents. Furthermore, voluntary digital labelling is introduced for refilled detergents to further facilitate the use of these as this is sustainable and reduces packaging waste.

Simplification of market rules by abolishing unnecessary or redundant requirements: The following rules in the Detergent Regulation will be abolished:

  • the obligation to provide an ingredient data sheet for hazardous detergents

  • the obligatory involvement of approved laboratories performing tests

  • the possibility to request a derogation for surfactants that do not meet the criteria of ultimate biodegradability

  • the obligation for detergent and surfactant manufacturers to be established in the EU

Furthermore labelling requirements will be simplified and streamlined to reduce the administrative burden for the industry and making them easier to understand for end-users.

 

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