US SDA firms should act now on EU Reach - AISE

30 January 2007 22:27  [Source: ICIS news]

BOCA RATON, Florida (ICIS news)--The US soap and detergent industry needs to respond promptly to the coming European Union (EU) regulatory regime, but can do so with confidence that the system works, a European industry official said on Tuesday.

A test of the system in which chemicals will qualify under the EU's programme for registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (Reach) has been successful, said Anne-Marie Rodeyns, deputy director-general of the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (AISE).

Rodeyns told the annual meeting of the Soap & Detergent Association (SDA) that the test of the Reach process used linear alkyl benzene (LAD), an ingredient in detergents.

The Brussels-based AISE represents 36 national associations embracing 900 companies in Europe, and has embraced the Reach initiative - in contrast to many participants in the US chemicals industry.

The first key date for the US industry to prepare for is 1 June 2007, at which point companies should start feeding information into the supply chain, Rodeyns said. The pre-registration of chemicals commences on 1 June 2008 and ends on 1 December 2008.

She said the critical point will be 1 January 2009, when a list of registered chemicals will be issued.

Any chemicals not pre-registered could be banned instantly at that time because they would be considered new products and the whole process would have to start over, Rodeyns warned.

During the 18-month pre-registration phase, European regulators would be encouraging companies to jointly register their products, she said.

The aim of collective registrations is to meet the goals of bringing more transparency and shared responsibility into the chemical industry, Rodeyns said.

Some US industry participants at the SDA meeting expressed unease about the Reach programme. One attendee contended that the initiative was actually a form of protectionism for the European chemical market. 

The SDA annual meeting in Florida's Boca Raton opened on Tuesday and runs through Satuday.

SDA member companies represented at the meeting include Proctor & Gamble, Cognis, Air Products, Bradford Soap Works and CIBA Specialty Chemicals.

By: Judith Taylor
+1 713 525 2653

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