Swiss Ciba expects little effect from Reach

14 June 2007 23:04  [Source: ICIS news]

By Elizabeth Bains

BASEL, Switzerland (ICISnews)--Ciba Specialty Chemicals expects to withdraw just a few of its plastics additives as a result of Reach legislation, the company said on Thursday.

Reach refers to Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals.

"They will most likely be in the benzotriazole area, which is already under the spotlight of Japanese regulators," said Giordano Righini, executive vice president of Ciba Plastic Additives.

Righini said the company was well placed for implementing the new European chemicals legislation.

"We didn't just start working on it last week. We have had a team working on it for months, and we are ready for implementation," he said.

As products and raw materials are still being analised, the company is not yet able to quantify what the cost of the registration process will be.

"But if we will be forced to withdraw a product because of Reach, we will try to provide a good alternative to our customers, both in terms of quality and price," Righini added.

Ciba plans to have its own Reach experts on hand to answer customers' questions and offer training at the K-Show plastics exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, in October.

The Switzerland-based firm will also showcase a new organic yellow pigment and an antioxidant for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), as well as its latest stabilisers for polyolefins, at the event.

By: Elizabeth Bains
+44 20 8652 3214

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