Rhodia claims 5-year advance in Reach preparation

24 April 2007 17:58  [Source: ICIS news]

PARIS (ICIS news)--French chemicals company Rhodia is five years ahead in its preparations to comply with the Reach legislation, said Jean Paul Peres, the company's director of product hygiene and safety, on Tuesday.

Peres said in a telephone interview that the company had started to think about Reach and how it could be rolled out globally as soon as the chemicals legislation had started to rear its head, giving Rhodia a five-year headstart over other companies that were slower to react

“The decision to substitute dangerous chemicals or to prove that they are safe is in line with Rhodia’s sustainable development aims and therefore nothing new,” he said.

Rhodia has always seen Reach as something positive that can improve the company’s products and its relations with its clients, rather than something to complain about, added Peres.

He added that despite his optimism some CMRs, highly hazardous substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, would be very difficult to replace.

One product in particular is butadiene, which is used to make rubber and which is the CMR most used by Rhodia, as there is currently no alternative to this product, said Peres.

He also estimated that the extra tests demanded by Reach will cost the company €60m-80m over 11 years.

“It will cost us money, but it will also have positive effects and we are already seeing this in our relations with our clients,” he added.  

By: Philippa Jones
+44 20 8652 3214

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