Reach

REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007.

The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. At the same time, innovative capability and competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry should be enhanced. The benefits of the REACH system will come gradually, as more and more substances are phased into REACH.

Aims
REACH has several aims:
•To provide a high level of protection of human health and the environment from the use of chemicals.
•To make the people who place chemicals on the market (manufacturers and importers) responsible for understanding and managing the risks associated with their use.)
•To ensure greater transparency and openness for the public by providing easier access to relevant information on chemicals.
•To establish a European Chemicals Agency to facilitate the administration of REACH and ensure that the system is applied in a harmonised way across the EU.
•To maintain the existing restriction system and to introduce to introduce an authorisation procedure for the most hazardous substances as a new instrument.

Are all substances subject to registration?
Yes, all substances above 1 tonne per year. However there are exemptions from certain parts of the legislation, for example, chemicals in food and medicine are covered by other EU laws.

Who is affected?
Virtually everyone in the supply chain dealing with chemical substances will have certain obligations. Manufacturers or importers of chemical substances or mixtures of chemical substances located in the EU Downstream users processing chemicals, formulating preparations (mixtures) for end use or using formulated products as part of their business.

Registration requirements and Feralco Strategy
REACH requires manufacturers and importers of chemical substances (larger than or equal to 1 tonne/year) to obtain information on the physicochemical, health and environmental properties of their substances and use it to determine how these substances can be used safely. Each manufacturer and importer must submit a registration dossier documenting the data and assessments to the Agency. Feralco through active participation within the Iron/ Aluminium salts consortium aim to satisfy the requirements of REACH registration by October 2010, for products manufactured at a rate of over 1000 tonnes per annum.

Aluminium and Iron salts (AlFe) REACH consortium
The manufacturers, importers, only representatives of Aluminium salts, Iron salts and Sodium Aluminate joined efforts for their REACH compliance activities and have transferred on February 13th 2009 their Aluminium and Iron salts (AlFe) REACH consortium to ReachCentrum for Secretariat activities.

Consortium description
Through the AlFe REACH consortium, the manufacturers, importers and only representatives have decided to join efforts to prepare consistent registration dossiers, building on the experience gained during the OECD/HPV program for Iron salts and pre-OECD/HPV program for Aluminium salts. The project management and secretariat of the consortium is handled by ReachCentrum.

1. Aluminium (Al) salts sub-consortium
2. Iron (Fe) salts sub-consortium
3. Sodium aluminate (SodAl) sub-consortium

For further information concerning Feralco and REACH please Contact:

REACH Co-ordinator
Feralco UK
Shed 6
Carron Dock
Grangemouth
FK3 8UB

+44 1324 665 455
info.uk@feralco.com