ECHA

I hope that you are enjoying your summer – we have had a record breaking summer here in Helsinki, and it's not over yet! I'm keen to tell you about the coming months which will be eventful.

The SVHC Roadmap aims to have all the relevant currently known substances of very high concern (SVHCs) included in the Candidate List for authorisation by 2020. The work is done by the Member States, the European Commission and ECHA. Two Member State representatives share their views on the roadmap implementation with ECHA Newsletter.

From 1 June 2015, the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation will be the only legislation that applies to the classification and labelling of both substances and mixtures in the EU. For now, the Dangerous Preparations Directive and its national implementing legislation is still in force, but CLP takes over from 1 June 2015 onwards. The CLP Regulation has applied in fact to substances since 1 December 2010 but now, mixtures come into play. The CLP Regulation implements the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) that has been agreed in the United Nations (UN).

Do you know what you need to do to be included in the list of active substances and suppliers, sometimes known as the Article 95 list? The amended regulation, published in April 2014, brought some changes to ensure that equal treatment of all suppliers of active substances, is fully guaranteed. Find out what the main changes are and remind yourself of the other key aspects you need to take into consideration. If you need to apply to ECHA to be included in the list, make sure you apply well before the deadline of 1 September 2015, to keep your biocidal products on the market.

Companies who are planning to apply for a Union authorisation for their biocidal product are strongly advised to make a pre-submission to ECHA at the start of their application process. It will allow Member States and the European Commission to indicate any concerns that the company should be aware of before submitting the application.

ECHA's Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) adopted its first opinions on biocidal active substances and specific biocide questions received from the European Commission at its meetings in April and June.

The new submission tool for exporters, ePIC, will be launched on 2 September. All necessary data stored in the current tool, EDEXIM, will have been migrated to the new system by that date. For that migration to take place, EDEXIM users must act now. ECHA Newsletter spoke to Chiara Macchi from ECHA's Dossier Submission & PIC Unit, to discuss the changes and how they will affect companies.

A new eGuide to help you find your way around safety data sheets and exposure scenarios will be published shortly on ECHA's website. ECHA Newsletter spoke to Bridget Ginnity from ECHA's Risk Management Unit to find out more about the eGuide and how to make the best use of it.

Société Lorraine de Peintures et Vernis (SLPV) is a small family company manufacturing industrial paints and varnishes. Each of their customers orders different formulations according to their needs, which means that the company deals with hundreds of substances and different formulations daily. ECHA Newsletter spoke with Chantal Remy, who is in charge of purchasing and regulatory compliance in SLPV, to hear how a small company makes sure they comply with the REACH and CLP Regulations.

ECHA's Board of Appeal (BoA) has received 45 appeals so far. With this experience under its belt, the Board is now operating as intended and offering companies an important possibility for legal redress and an opportunity for ECHA to correct mistakes. ECHA Newsletter met with Andrew Fasey, the Technically Qualified Member of the Board of Appeal, and asked him for some thoughts on the appeals process to date.

Authorisation is a new regulatory process for chemicals, introduced by the REACH Regulation. Although the process is still relatively new, one novelty is offered – a partners service that aims to bring the different actors together already in the planning phase of the application process.

Chemicals are an essential part of our daily lives, and it is important to be aware of how to use them carefully. The 'Chemicals in our Life' section of ECHA's website offers some useful information for consumers, and national and European organisations also offer advice. ECHA Newsletter spoke about two ongoing projects with the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, Tukes.

Satu Hassi has been active on environmental matters for many years. She is a Finnish national and was the Finnish Minister of the Environment from 1999-2002. Lately, she has been a Member of the European Parliament and Coordinator of the Greens in the Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety from 2004-2014. One of her tasks was to be ECHA's contact person – a role that she has fulfilled from 2007 until the recent European election. ECHA Newsletter spoke with Ms Hassi, who has now stepped down from the European Parliament, to hear her views on REACH, its implementation and its impact on European citizens and industry.

Ensuring the safety of all the chemicals that are available on the market is a challenge that countries cannot deal with alone. A harmonised approach on chemicals policy and risk assessment can avoid the duplication of work and increase cost effectiveness. Bob Diderich, Head of Division of the Environment Directorate in the OECD, spoke with ECHA Newsletter about the challenges of global chemicals management.

The European Coalition to End Animal Testing, ECEAE, has been representing animal welfare organisations as one of ECHA's accredited stakeholders since the very beginning. During these years, they have been actively involved in commenting on testing proposals and have observed the impact that REACH has had on animal welfare. The ECEAE's Chief scientific advisor, Katy Taylor, tells the ECHA Newsletter about her experience of working with ECHA.