Europe Regulatory News

A study and ingredients’ comparison done for 20 perfumes in Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands revealed that these perfumes contain substances of concern that have been listed by authoritative bo...

A study and ingredients’ comparison done for 20 perfumes in Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands revealed that these perfumes contain substances of concern that have been listed by authoritative bodies. The study shows the presence of 26 problematic substances in 20 perfumes, and they can be categorised into the following groups:

• Suspected Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
• Reprotoxic Substances
• Allergens
• Substances that are harmful to the environment

The dangerous substances and their functions include:

This study was conducted by the Danish Consumer Council, Dutch NGO Erase All Toxins and Flemish NGO Stand up to Cancer. They suggest that an alternative is to use perfumes that have been awarded the EU or Nordic Swan Ecolabels. A full document on the study can be accessed here.

Last Update: 2022-01-04

The European Commission published a Regulation amending several annexes of the cosmetics regulation, prohibiting certain substances from use in cosmetics. This regulation was published on the 3rd of N...

The European Commission published a Regulation amending several annexes of the cosmetics regulation, prohibiting certain substances from use in cosmetics. This regulation was published on the 3rd of November and came into effect on November 23, 20 days after its publication.

According to the new regulation, 23 Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reprotoxic (CMR) substances are banned from use in cosmetics production, effective from March 1st, 2022. The amended annexes are Annexes II, III, and V and some of the substances subjected to the ban include the following:

• Zinc pyrithione
• dioctyltin dilaurate, stannane, dioctyl-,bis(coco acyloxy) derivatives;
• 2-methoxyethyl acrylate;
• diisooctyl phthalate;
• bis(α,α-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide; and
• dichlorodioctylstannane. 

More detailed information about the list of substances can be accessed here.

Last update: 2021-12-17

The European Commission adopted its new Circular Economy Action Plan (COM/2020/98 final) in March 2020.  The plan – which is one of the first deliverables under the European Green De...

The European Commission adopted its new Circular Economy Action Plan (COM/2020/98 final) in March 2020.  The plan – which is one of the first deliverables under the European Green Deal (COM/2019/640 final) – lays out more in detail the specific policy measures to be taken by the European Union in the transition towards circular economic systems, including their indicative timelines.   

It identifies seven "Key Product Value Chains" that will be central to European regulation, namely:   

• Electronics and ICT  
• Batteries and vehicles  
• Packaging   
• Plastics  
• Textiles  
• Construction and buildings   
• Food, water and nutrients   

Textiles, footwear and clothing pose intensive environmental challenges in terms of resource use, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. As the Ellen MacArthur foundation shows, less than 1% of clothing fibers are fully recycled,  while a further 12% are downcycled in some way. This means that the bulk of the production is going to landfill or incineration. Additionally, 12% of the fibers for clothing production are lost during the production process.  

While demand in the sector is projected to continue growing, recycling technologies and their industrial uptake are lagging behind.   

 As most of the value chains for textiles marketed in Europe (and their associated environmental impacts) are to be found outside the EU, European regulations are of great interest for producers in exporting countries.    

The first quarter of 2022 will see the announcement by the Commission of two key files in this respect:   

The EU Strategy for Textiles will detail the Union's approach to the textile sector, and set out further specific legislation to be adopted or amended. It is possible that some of the legislation proposals will not be published at this stage, but the Strategy will indicate what direction the Commission will be going towards.  

 The Sustainable Products Initiative will propose several legislative changes seeking to bring the EU product policy framework in line with the EU's environmental ambitions. The main change will be the amendment of the existing Ecodesign Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC). While the current Ecodesign Directive only applies to energy-related products (domestic appliances, for instance), its scope will be extended to other product categories, including textiles.  

Final adoption of new or amending legislation will still require the agreement of both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which will have the opportunity to propose their own changes to the Commission's draft acts. As the European Union rolls out its Circular Economy Action Plan, it is becoming one of the international actors seeking to enhance circularity in textiles through changes in legislation. Given that Europe is the main importer of textiles in the world, this bears substantial implications for producers in other countries.  

Source: Textiles in Europe's Circular Economy 

Last update: 2021-12-14

On the 28th of October 2021, the European Commission adopted the proposal on protecting human health and the environment by tightening the limits for POPs. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are the...

On the 28th of October 2021, the European Commission adopted the proposal on protecting human health and the environment by tightening the limits for POPs. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are the most harmful chemicals in waste, and the proposal is targeted at preventing these chemicals from entering the economy.

The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, acknowledges that this is one more step to fulfill their promise to remove the most harmful pollutants from our daily lives.

POPs are no longer used in new products. However, they are still found in the waste from consumer products like waterproof textiles, plastics, electronic equipment, and furniture.

The Commission then proposes strict limits for the following POPs:

• perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts and related compounds – found in waterproof textiles and fire-fighting foams;
• dicofol – a pesticide, previously used in agriculture;
• pentachlorophenol, its salts and esters – found in treated wood and textiles.

Furthermore, the Commission wants to tighten the maximum limits in waste for another five substances.

This is a vital step towards achieving a more circular economy, contributing to the European Green Deal's Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

Latest Update: 2021-11-02

During the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) meeting between October 5-14, 2021, it was decided not to allow the use of d-allethrin for product-type 18, that is, insecticides, acaricides, and products...

During the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) meeting between October 5-14, 2021, it was decided not to allow the use of d-allethrin for product-type 18, that is, insecticides, acaricides, and products used in controlling other arthropods.

The committee regarded the toxicological test data presented in the submitted dossier and it does not appropriately match the profile of what is currently in the market. There are also unacceptable risks to human health and the environment from using d-allethrin.

Last Update: 2021-11-01

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) announced the SCIP Database in September 2021; this is a public database for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in EU products. SCIP da...

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) announced the SCIP Database in September 2021; this is a public database for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in EU products. SCIP database is aimed at helping consumers make informed purchasing choices and waste operators develop procedures for reuse and recycling of articles and materials respectively. 

About 6,000 companies in the EU have notified ECHA about their products that have SVHCs, therefore, the SCIP database has more than four million article notifications which can now be accessed by the public. 

According to ECHA, the most notified product categories in the database are: 

• machinery and their parts 

• measuring instruments and their parts 

• electronic equipment and their parts 

• vehicles and their parts 

• articles made of rubber; and 

• furniture. 

And the most common SVHCs in these notifications are: 

• lead (e.g. in ball bearings, batteries); 

• lead monoxide (e.g. in lamps, vehicle parts); 

• lead titanium trioxide (e.g. in electric cookers); 

• silicid acid, lead salt (e.g. in lead crystalware, vehicle coatings); and 

• 1,6,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,17,18,18-Dodecachloropentacyclo[12.2.1.16,9.02,13.05,10]octadeca-7,15- diene, more commonly referred to as “Dechlorane PlusTM” (e.g. in paints, glues) 

In the database, you can easily search for data either by the name or brand of the article, type of material, product category, or by the chemical name. Through the database, you can get accurate information on products; if they are hazardous and their safe use instructions. 

Do you place articles that contain SVHCs in the EU market? If yes, have you notified these substances to the database? If no, you must do the notifications. Check ECHA for guidance documents and tools for this process. 

As it started on January 5, 2021, notifying ECHA applies to companies that supply articles containing substances of very high concern (SVHCs) on the REACH candidate list. This obligation concerns articles in the EU market that contains more than 0.1% weight by weight of SVHCs.  

Last Update: 2021-10-20

Certain amendments were proposed to the 8th version of GHS at the 10th session of the "Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classifica...

Certain amendments were proposed to the 8th version of GHS at the 10th session of the "Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals" held on the 11th of December 2020.

The new GHS document ‘version 9’ adopted these amendments, and the main updates are listed below: 

Chapter 2.1 on explosives has new updates to address explosion hazards better when they are not in their transport configuration; (pages 41-50). The new changes include further information on:

• the classification of explosives as substance, mixture, or article
• the minimum level of packaging you can retain an explosive until use
• the substances and mixtures excluded from the class of explosives (2.1.1.2.2)
• the classification criteria (2.1.2) are now tabular for a clearer understanding of Categories 1 & 2 and their sub-categories.

Decision logics are revised on pages 46 to 48 to include images on:

• Decision logic for categories of explosives
• Decision logic for sub-categories of explosives

There is also a revision of the classification and labelling summary tables in Annex 1. The change of classification criteria in chapter 2.1 was reflected in the table, changing the Explosives GHS hazard category from Division 1.1-1.6 to 1-2c. This can be found on pages 245-259.

Other revisions in the new version include further rationalization of precautionary statements and an update of references to OECD test guidelines for chemicals testing in annexes 9 and 10 (pages 519-524 & 535).

Download the GHS Version 9