REACH deadlines may affect your business in 2013

There are a number of important deadlines relating to the Registration and Authorisation of chemicals happening under REACH, the EU chemicals Regulation during 2013.

  • Irish companies in the business of manufacturing, importing or using chemicals may need to act ahead of these deadlines to ensure their business activities can continue. 

Second Registration deadline – May 31st 2013 

  • Companies manufacturing or importing substances at greater than 100 tonnes per year may need to register those substances by May 31st, or face the possibility of not being able to place those chemicals on the market. 
  • Companies intending to register should now be active in their dossier preparation and any company requiring assistance should contact the HSA’s chemicals helpdesk at chemcials@hsa.ie

Further information is available on the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) website 

Authorisation ‘latest applications dates’ in 2013

  • Authorisation is the –A- in REACH. Since its entry into force in 2007, REACH has driven the identification of the most hazardous substances marketed in the EU, with the aim of controlling the risks associated with their use. 
  • Authorisation imposes a pre-approval system on the future use of these substances and ultimately promotes their substitution with safer alternatives. This pre-approval system involves the submission of an application to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) by a specified latest application date. With this application, companies must justify the continued use of the substance. 
  • Where companies have not been granted an authorisation or their application has been refused, the use of the substance must cease beyond a specified date, known as the sunset date. 14 substances are already listed on the authorisation list – for 11 of these, application deadlines apply throughout 2013. 

Act Now! Companies using chemicals should:

  • check the authorisation list for any substance in use (see www.echa.eu)
  • If Yes, check if there are any alternative substance that you can use instead, if no then;
  • contact your supplier(s) and ask what their plans are for authorisation; a supplier can include a downstream user’s use in his application
  • ensure an application is made before the relevant deadline
  • contact the chemicals helpdesk with any questions at chemicals@hsa.ie  

Further information is available on the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) website at http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/addressing-chemicals-of-concern/authorisation  
Source: HSA Newsletter 
ECOS Environmental Consultants Limited