European chemical industry ready for Reach deadline - Cefic

13 September 2010 10:46  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--Chemical industry leaders have announced that the sector is close to completing preparations to meet the upcoming Reach chemicals registration deadline on 30 November, Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council) said on Monday.

Chemical industry executives joined EU commissioners for Environment and Enterprise, along with the head of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels to outline how many of the issues surrounding the registration process so far had been resolved thanks to cooperation among the chemical industry.

“Companies are doing their utmost to comply with Reach and to meet the first registration deadline,” said Cefic president Christian Jourquin.

“The industry has been actively involved in the establishment of Reach as well as its implementation, which applies to thousands of substances,” he added.

However, Cefic warned that small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were struggling with the costs and complexity of the registration process.

“Besides the resource issue, the cost burden especially hits the bottom line of small and medium-sized firms, who represent more than 90% of all chemical companies,” argues Cefic director general Hubert Mandery.

“The concerns of SMEs should be taken seriously into consideration, as the following two registration phases for lower tonnage substances will be significantly more burdensome for them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cefic said that the chemical industry would also have to meet an additional deadline in January to comply with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances regulation (CLP).

“It’s in the industry’s interest that Reach is workable, practical and cost affordable. Furthermore, we want to see the plethora of European substance-related legislation consistent with Reach,” Mandery said.

($1 = €0.79)

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By: Franco Capaldo
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