Europe Regulatory News

On 27 February 2023 the European Commission adopted a new proposal on the voluntary digital labeling of EU fertilising products. Digital labeling has already been adopted by the EU and is being used o...

On 27 February 2023 the European Commission adopted a new proposal on the voluntary digital labeling of EU fertilising products. Digital labeling has already been adopted by the EU and is being used on certain products which contain chemical substances. Based on this proposal, suppliers of fertilisers whose products meet EU health, safety, and environmental standards would be allowed to provide information on a digital label.

It is believed that this proposal could help users of fertilising products understand and use the products more safely and efficiently. Moreover, it would reduce the costs for the suppliers from €57,000 annually for a large company and €4,500 for an SME.

It should be noted that based in this proposal the fertilising suppliers are given the choice to choose which format of labelling they wish to use, meaning that the suppliers and retailer have the choice between the physical and digital format or a combination of the two.

This proposal has been sent to the European Parliament and the Council and in case of adoption, there would be a two- and half-year transaction period. This period would allow for more detailed technical rules to be decided.

ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, has updated its guidance for importers and manufacturers of polymers and monomers to comply with minimum requirements for REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authoriz...

ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, has updated its guidance for importers and manufacturers of polymers and monomers to comply with minimum requirements for REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations. The changes include updated registration obligations for importers and manufacturers. The updated guidance includes changes to the monomer registration requirements, the calculation of registration tonnages, and the information required in chemical safety reports. ECHA is urging all relevant parties to review their REACH registrations to ensure compliance with the updated guidance.

To access ECHA polymer and monomer guide click here: https://echa.europa.eu/-/guidance-for-monomers-and-polymers

The Waste Framework Directive's database (WFD) for information on substances of concern in articles as such or in complex objects (products) is known as Substances of Concern In Products (SCIP). A...

The Waste Framework Directive's database (WFD) for information on substances of concern in articles as such or in complex objects (products) is known as Substances of Concern In Products (SCIP). As of January 5, 2021, businesses who provide goods with Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) on the Candidate List in a concentration greater than 0.1% weight by weight (w/w) to the EU market must provide the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) with information on those products. Over a product's entire lifespan, even when it is in the disposal stage, the SCIP database makes sure that information on items containing chemicals on the Candidate List is accessible. The database's data is subsequently made available to waste management professionals and end users. 

 The German Environment Agency and 20 additional partners from 13 EU member states launched the AskREACH project in 2017. Its objective was to improve supplier and customer understanding of and communication regarding SVHCs. The EU amended the WFD a year later and opted to launch the SCIP database. As it was being developed, ECHA and AskREACH frequently discussed a potential alignment or shared entry format for the two systems. These programs aimed to broaden the dissemination of information regarding SVHCs to garbage operators, consumers, and other supply chain users. n. Since, for instance, SCIP utilises different identities [for chemicals and articles], the alignment of SCIP and the AskREACH consumer app was discovered to be impractical. 

On January 25, 2023, the AskREACH final conference was held in Brussels. High-level speakers  brought up the necessity for Art. 33's implementation and the requirement that products made and sold in Europe be safe for both the environment and consumers. 

The conference also heard repeated requests from NGOs and authorities for the Commission to shorten the period of time that businesses have to respond to requests for information on SVHCs in articles, as required by REACH Article 33. This mandates that anybody selling items that contain more than 0.1% of an SVHC by weight must warn their clients and offer usage tips within 45 days of doing so. 

The obligations and goals of the Article 33. are not being met, according to representatives from business and NGOs. Participants at the conference attributed this to a lack of knowledge about customers' rights and duties among consumers, retailers, and suppliers, as well as consumer challenges with requests and suppliers' poor, incorrect, or non-responsive responses. The AskREACH project has proposed several measures to the Commission to strengthen Article 33, including: requiring businesses to respond to consumer inquiries even when the article contains no SVHCs > 0.1%, or an obligation to always inform consumers; defining who is responsible for providing SVHC information in cases of online trade, for example, by amending REACH's definition of "supplier;" 

Nevertheless, members of the AskREACH initiative reminded the conference that in order for suppliers to properly respond to customers, they must have a working supply chain communication system in accordance with Article 33(1) and be ready for the requests. 

The revision of the FCM Regulation has been long-awaited, with the Regulation not having been reviewed since its entry into force in 2004. In May 2020, the Commission announced that it would adopt a p...

The revision of the FCM Regulation has been long-awaited, with the Regulation not having been reviewed since its entry into force in 2004. In May 2020, the Commission announced that it would adopt a proposal for the revision in the fourth quarter of 2022. However, due to the Regulation being “complex” the revision was postponed to 2023.

Recently the Commission's Department on Health & Food Safety (DG Sante) revealed that work on the revision would not begin until 2025. The Commission's numerous proposals announced under the REACH and CLP revisions have added to the challenges, with questions arising over the extent to which these policy options, including essential use criteria, should be factored into the work on updating the FCM Regulation.

Despite the delay in legislative work, DG Sante has outlined plans for 2023 to refine solutions and define more detailed policy options for the revision of the FCM Regulation. The focus will be on policy pillar A: 'shifting the focus onto the final material' and pillar B: 'prioritisation of substances'. Together, these pillars will form the core of the future risk management approach, with new material categories being applied.

The goals for pillar A are for producers of final FCMs to have full knowledge of 'migratables' and to become solely accountable for their release above the permitted safe levels. DG Sante's objective is also for all migratables to be risk assessed by national authorities or potentially businesses, as outlined in pillar B.

Under pillar B, the directorate will also create three tiers. The first is generic rules that will apply to the use of the most hazardous substances. Tier two will see public authorities conducting risk assessments, while the final tier envisages business operators assessing "more benign" chemicals.

In addition to these pillars, DG Sante plans to work on a study to assess the impact and options of pillar C – 'supporting safer and more sustainable alternatives'. The study is expected to be submitted to the Commission's regulatory scrutiny board by Q1 2024.

It has furthermore been pointed out that the drafting of the proposal is likely to clash with the European elections in May 2024 and the appointment of a new college of commissioners six months later. This could further delay the proposal, depending on other priorities such as dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and energy security.

If the proposal comes out in 2025, a revised regulation might not come into place until 2026 or 2027.

Starting from February 25th, certain perfluorocarboxylic acids (C9-C14 PFCAs), which are a subgroup of PFAS, will be restricted throughout the European Union. After this date, PFCAs cannot be used in ...

Starting from February 25th, certain perfluorocarboxylic acids (C9-C14 PFCAs), which are a subgroup of PFAS, will be restricted throughout the European Union. After this date, PFCAs cannot be used in most applications or placed on the market, although some uses have been granted longer transition periods. The aim of the restriction is to reduce or prevent exposure of people and the environment to PFCAs, while also avoiding the substitution of PFOA, which has been banned globally since July 2020. The EU's goal of phasing out all non-essential uses of PFAS under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is being met with this measure.

The list of substances under restriction is available here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32021R1297

A comprehensive plan that outlines more than 150 steps to assist business and government agencies in achieving the Green Deal and digital targets by 2050 has been released by the European Commission i...

A comprehensive plan that outlines more than 150 steps to assist business and government agencies in achieving the Green Deal and digital targets by 2050 has been released by the European Commission in collaboration with stakeholders. The main elements of the EU Green Deal are: Climate action, Clean energy, Sustainable industry, Buildings and renovations, Sustainable mobility, Eliminating pollution, Farm to Fork, Preserving biodiversity, Research and development as well as Preventing unfair competition from carbon leakage. 

In order to support the Union's transition to a "toxic free" environment, climate neutrality, circular economy, and digitalization, the "Transition Pathway for the Chemical Industry" document, which was published on 27 January 2023, proposes steps, including safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) measures and substitution to safer substances. 

Sustainable competitiveness is one of its 2050 "building blocks." Developing, commercialising, deploying, and encouraging the use of SSbD substances and materials are some of the proposals made to achieve this. Other suggestions include making sure that dangerous chemicals that are prohibited in the EU are not produced for export, by amending applicable legislation as needed. 

A list of actions that stakeholders may do to encourage the transition to safer chemicals is also included in the document. As part of the new circular economy action plan, one phase is to adopt and enforce the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). To guarantee that consumer items don't include chemicals that cause cancer, gene mutations, disrupt the reproductive or endocrine systems, or are persistent, bioaccumulative, and hazardous, authorities should take action to expand the general approach to risk management. This suggests a new digital infrastructure where parties could share high quality data on chemical hazard profiles and the environmental impact of products. They could extend this to other chemicals, including those toxic to particular organs and those affecting the immune, neurological, or respiratory systems.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released the full details of a proposed EU REACH restriction that aims to limit the use of more than 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which ...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released the full details of a proposed EU REACH restriction that aims to limit the use of more than 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which are commonly known as "forever chemicals." The proposal has been authored by the authorities of five European countries - Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden - and outlines two options for restricting the use and placement on the market of these substances, which are concerning due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity.

The first option involves a complete ban of PFAS with no exemptions and a transition period of 18 months after the regulation takes effect. Option two is a complete ban with specific, time-limited exemptions for certain uses, such as active substances in plant protection and biocidal products, as well as human and veterinary medicinal products. This option also carries an 18-month transition period and a 5 or 12-year exemption period, depending on the application. The authors of the restriction propose a ban on consumer products after 18 months, a 5-year exemption period for products where alternatives are being developed, and a 12-year exemption period for products where no alternatives exist at the moment.

The restriction report considers option two to be the most balanced approach, allowing time for alternatives to be developed while still promoting the phase-out of PFASs. The proposal is the broadest restriction of PFASs ever submitted, covering at least 10,000 of these substances.

The restrictions will not result in a total ban on PFASs in other substances, mixtures, or articles but will set limits for their use.

The next steps for the proposal include legal checks by ECHA's committees for socio-economic analysis and risk assessment, followed by a six-month consultation and adoption by the European Commission. The restriction is expected to be adopted and enter into force in 2025 and become applicable in 2026-2027.

The background:

In the EU, around 230,000 tonnes of PFASs are placed on the market each year, used in various sectors including textiles, food packaging, electronics, construction, and medical devices. Recently risks related to the manufacturing, placement, and use of PFASs has been identified. Thus a proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) under the European Union's chemicals regulation, REACH, has been submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) by the national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden in January.