ECHA

After joining ECHA in May 2019 and immersing myself back into the world of chemicals after a nine-year period in research and innovation, it feels like I’ve come home. As the Director for Risk Management, I’m ready to take on the challenges set for REACH authorisation, restrictions and biocides – and to continue working towards the sustainable management of chemicals for the benefit of citizens and the environment.

Back in 2018, the European Commission’s second REACH Review concluded that REACH was operating effectively, but also identified 16 actions where further work would be needed to strengthen chemicals management throughout Europe. We report on the latest status of work being done by the Agency to address these areas.

The term grouping of substances could be interpreted in many ways. There are different goals for bringing substances together and the bases for grouping can vary. But for ECHA, grouping of substances is a way to organise work. It helps speed up the risk management of chemicals and supports informed substitution.

Have you noticed the recent improvements made to ECHA’s chemicals database? More information is now available on properties of concern as well as on nanoform substances. The clearer structure and strengthened linking in the substance Infocard makes it easier to find exactly the information you are looking for. Read more about the enhancements and find out what you can expect to see in future releases.

Some chemicals are a source of growing concern as they can cause allergic reactions following skin contact. Swedish and French authorities estimate that between 4 and 5 million people in the European Economic Area are sensitised to chemical substances present in finished textile and leather articles. To protect the general public, they have proposed to restrict chemical substances known to cause this effect in such articles, as well as in hides and furs, when they are placed on the market for the first time.

A new version of EUSES will be available in September 2019 to help companies and authorities assess the environmental impact of biocidal active substances. In the long term, ECHA is looking to develop a central tool to harmonise chemical risk assessment for REACH and biocides.

In spring 2019, more than 1 400 government officials and observers from over 180 countries gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for two weeks of back-to-back meetings during the Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. The COP to the Rotterdam Convention reached decisions, which will also have an impact on how the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation is administered in the EU.

Any producer, importer or supplier of an article that is placed on the EU market and contains a substance of very high concern (SVHC) on the Candidate List, will need to submit information on this article to ECHA from 5 January 2021 onwards. This new duty is based on the revised Waste Framework Directive that aims to decrease the generation of waste containing hazardous substances and promote substitution. Read more about the duties placed on companies and what information the future database will contain.

Widespread and fast growing, plastic pollution is an increasing concern for citizens in Europe and across the world, with soaring impacts on health and the environment. The Rethink Plastic alliance, a member of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, advocates for ambitious changes in EU policies to end plastic pollution. The alliance has contributed to some of the recently adopted measures, notably the Directive on single-use plastics.