European Chemical Association Establishes Five REACH/CLP Platforms

The online publication, Chemical Watch, has noted that the European Chemical Industry Council, better known as Cefic, has undertaken an internal restructuring in order to best handle the changing needs of its REACH and CLP industry clients.


According to Chemical Watch, Cefic's new "platforms and their responsibilities" are:

• Registration – focusing on guidance and registration related topics for the next deadline in June 2013 and issues relating to SMEs.
• Dossier Compliance – embracing the aspects of evaluation, including the dossier compliance check and testing proposals, and enforcement.
• Restrictions and authorisation – looking at different aspects ranging from the initial proposals set out in Annex XV dossiers, through to Annex XIV Candidate List proposals and the granting of authorisations, which Mr Annys notes is now starting to be discussed in detail. He said the ECHA authorisation workshop earlier this month was a good first exchange of information and opportunity to understand what ECHA and the Commission expected companies include in their authorisation applications. He predicted that the newness and complexity of the process would likely mean the bulk of applications will come closer to the application date, rather than earlier on. He adds that the upcoming substance evaluation process, set to begin in 2012, will likely be closely related to the authorisation and restriction.
• CLP and GHS – dealing with issues such as harmonised classification and labelling, how to develop common C&Ls, and safety data sheets.
• Global Product Strategy – to fulfil industry’s commitment to meet the requirements of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management

More information on Cefic's changes can be found in the Chemical Watch article (available at the above link by subscription only) and on the Cefic site.

More information about the publication, Chemical Watch, can be found on their web site.

Cefic and Egypt Sign Cooperative Agreement on Chemical Safety

This past week the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) signed a cooperative agreement with the Chamber of Chemical Industries (CCI) of Egypt such that the two trade associations could collaborate "on areas that impact the chemicals industry in Egypt and the European Union."  According to the Cefic press release:

The signed six-point agreement includes cooperation on topics such as legislation, application of regulations, as well as trade and investment flows between the two regions. The memorandum delegates the Egyptian group to coordinate the Responsible Care initiative through its FEI Environmental Compliance office. It also details how both groups will consider how consultations and information exchange can take place on regulatory matters such as customs and REACH legislation.  

Responsible Care® is "a global initiative of the chemical industry to drive continuous improvement in its health, safety and environmental performance and to make a strong contribution to sustainable development. Responsible Care was first launched in 1985 in Canada and is now run by the national/regional chemical associations in more than 50 countries around the world."


More information is available on the Cefic web site.