REACH Passes European Parliament, Heads For Council And June ’07 Start
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
The European Parliament (EP) adopted the Registration, Evaluation Authorization & Restriction of Chemicals legislation Dec. 13 by a vote of 529 in favor, 98 against and 24 abstentions
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The European Parliament (EP) adopted the Registration, Evaluation Authorization & Restriction of Chemicals legislation Dec. 13 by a vote of 529 in favor, 98 against and 24 abstentions. The European Council is expected to formally accept REACH in a Dec. 18 vote. The legislation is then scheduled to go into effect June 1, 2007. "The cosmetics industry strongly believes that REACH will contribute to increased consumer confidence," according to European Cosmetic Toiletry & Perfumery Association Director-General Bertil Heerink. The industry "is fully committed to a successful implementation and stands ready to contribute its expertise. If well implemented, REACH should contribute to secure our competitiveness and our capacity to innovate," his same-day statement reads. REACH will replace 40 existing legislative texts regarding chemical safety, the EP states. It requires importers and manufacturers of chemicals in volumes greater than one metric ton a year to register with a European Chemicals Agency. Industry has been advised to begin preparing now for pre-registration, which will take place from April to October 2008 (1 (Also see "Industry Braces For Impact Of REACH As Legislation Nears Passage" - HBW Insight, 11 Dec, 2006.), p. 3). The amendments incorporated into the final version of the bill include an obligation for producers of the most hazardous chemicals to provide a plan for their replacement. The "duty of care" principle will also be part of REACH. It requires industry to ensure that neither human health nor the environment will be affected by a substance's manufacture or sale. The legislation discourages animal testing by requiring the use of alternative toxicity testing methods whenever possible. Another amendment directs the European Commission (EC) to reach a decision within 12 years on whether chemical safety reports should be required for substances imported at a volume less than 10 metric tons per year. REACH "will increase our knowledge about chemicals, enhance safety, and spur innovation while encouraging substitution of highly dangerous substances by safer ones," Stavros Dimas, the EC's commissioner for environment states. - Molly Laas |