• Reach Registration & Evaluation
• REACH and the Stan Chem Group
The regulation 1907/2006 "REACH" (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) entered force on 1st June 2007. With a wide portfolio of products, Stan Chem has identified the importance and is prepared and fully aware of the effects that this regulation has on our business as manufacturers, importers and downstream users of chemicals, as defined by the REACH legislation. As a significant manufacturer and marketer of raw materials worldwide, and especially within Europe, Stan Chem has already established a senior operating team to ensure that we are ready to meet our own legal obligations, provide a high level REACH support service and importantly that we can maintain security of supply for our customers. We have been, and continue to work to ensure that all our responsibilities are fulfilled with regards to the regulation.
Stan Chem is actively working in co-operation with industry, government, and trade organisations such as REACHReady (www.reachready.co.uk) to ensure a proactive approach to REACH is maintained.
• What is REACH?
REACH came into force 1st June 2007 and harmonised a number of regulations into one single legislation.
The Aims of REACH:
1. Protection of human health and the environment.
2. Responsibility of understanding and managing risks associated with substances with Producer / Importer.
3. Free movement of substances.
4. Promotion of innovation and competitiveness.
5. To encourage alternative methods for assessment of hazardous properties of substances. (Non-animal testing)
6. Increase transparency of the EU chemical industry.
7. Harmonise legislation with other key World Economic areas.
In order to benefit from the phased-in deadlines, manufacturers or importers had to pre-register their substances from 1st June - 1st December 2008. Industry is now working towards registration deadlines of 2010, 2013 or 2018, depending on the volume of the substance and it's effect on health or the environment.
REACH also dovetails with new CLP legislation, which changes the way that substances are labelled, working towards the GHS (Global Harmonised System).
• REACH: Registration & Evaluation
REACH regulations require that substances manufactured in the EU or imported into the EU at or above 1 metric ton per year be registered. The EU has put REACH into force in a stepwise approach, the biggest tonnages and most harmful materials requiring to be registered first. Registration involves making an assessment of the hazards and risks posed by a substance, and how those risks are best controlled.
Further information on registration can be found on the ECHA website.
Joint registration and data sharing
Substance Information Exchange Forum (SIEF) groups have been set up in order that companies share information about each particular substance. Each SIEF has a lead registrant who will put together the product information, and share it among the group. This is to cut down on the amount of work required to register each material, and the amount of testing that will have to be undertaken on that material.
Evaluation
The Technical Dossiers submitted as part of the registration process will be evaluated as follows:
1. Compliance check
Following an automated check that each dossier has information about all criterion required, a check of the quality of the information will be carried out on at east 5% of the dossiers submitted at each deadline.
2. Dossier evaluation
The ECHA will evaluate any testing proposals put forwards by the registrant from the list of standard tests in Annexes IX and X of REACH, to prevent unnecessary animal testing. This will be limited to substances registered above the 100 metric tons per annum limit.
3. Substance evaluation
Substances with specific hazards, which are identified by the Competent Authorities as being of concern, my face possible restrictions on the manufacture, supply or use, of the material or a proposal to change the classification and labeling.
Further details on evaluation can also be found on the ECHA and HSE websites:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm
http://www.echa.europa.eu