Reach
(Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)

The new European Chemicals regulation (REACH) come into force on the 1st June 2007 and Hovione is committed to meet the legal obligations under this highly complex law.

Substances in volumes over one ton per year must be neither manufactured nor imported after the 1st December 2008 in the EU (even in preparations/mixtures and articles under certain conditions), unless they are registered. Transitional periods will be granted under the REACH Regulation in order to perform comprehensive registration tasks. Depending on substance volumes and certain health and environmental classifications, these transitional periods range from 3.5 to 11 years (Article 23). To be able to benefit from these transitional periods, manufacturers/importers must pre-register a substance from the 1st June to the 1st December 2008.

REACH requires extensive communication between the different actors in the supply chain. This refers e.g. to the exchange of information on use and exposure between downstream users and manufacturer or importer. Hovione is developing a communication system with downstream users and manufacturers or importers to ensure a smoothly transition and compliance with REACH.

It is essential for users of substances to know if suppliers (Manufacturer/Importer) will register the substances they require – to confirm that these substances will be available in the future and their specific uses will be covered by a registration.

It is also essential for manufacturers/importers to be informed about downstream applications as well as use and exposure information for the respective substances in order to be able to generate the required chemical safety report covering the identified uses.

For more information please contact Hovione REACH coordinator:


Tel: +351 21 9829492



Links:

• European Commission - REACH

• REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006

• REACH Directive 2006/121/EC

• http://www.reachcentrum.eu/index.htm

• http://ec.europa.eu/echa/