Reach may impede surfactants innovation - Sansoni

19 December 2007 16:02  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Regulatory procedures such as the EU's Reach legislation may impede innovation in the surfactants market over the coming years, Brian Sansoni, vice president of the Soap and Detergent Association, said on Wednesday.

 

Resources and funding are increasingly being diverted to meet these obligations rather than being spent on research and development.

 

Besides the additional paperwork and investment, the man-hours required to fully understand the new legislation would have an impact, he said.

 

“I think we’ll see more innovation in the coming years, but the important thing is that companies focus their time and resources. The biggest challenge is that they will have to divert a massive amount of resources to new regulatory regimes like Reach,” said Sansoni.

 

“Research and development is the lifeblood of surfactants companies but if you have to comply with Reach, you’re not going to be able to do that for free. Compliance costs time and money. The next few years will certainly be interesting.”

 

Reach -- the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals -- came into force on 1 June and requires firms to ensure that their chemical products are safe for consumers. The legislation will help to identify and replace harmful substances.

 

June 2008 marks the opening of the pre-registration window, which runs through to December. Chemical registration will take place over an 11-year period.

 

For more on surfactants, see the 21 January 2008 issue of ICIS Chemical Business

By: Andy Brice
+44 20 8652 3214

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