REACH

 

We support REACH, the pan-European legislation for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals. The aim of REACH is to protect people’s health and the environment through a risk assessment of chemicals produced in the European Community.

We see REACH not as a threat but as a business opportunity. In fact the REACH legislation fits well with our Product Stewardship commitment and our support for the Responsible Care® and Coatings Care® initiatives.

We understand that there may be many questions, such as:

What is REACH?
How will it work?


WHAT IS REACH?
The European Community has reformed the previous European legislations for ‘existing’ (EINECS) and ‘new’ (ELINCS) substances, into one new uniform regulatory system for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restrictions of Chemicals (REACH). The REACH regulation came into force on June 1st, 2007. REACH makes manufacturers, importers and their customers responsible for the safe use of chemicals. The producers and importers have to assess the risks of their substances over the entire supply chain and have to demonstrate that those risks are properly managed. The authorities will control this process by means of the registration dossiers to be submitted by the producers or importers and take additional measures on highly dangerous substances, where needed.

REACH is;
• providing an improved protection to human health and the environment
• increasing knowledge about the properties and uses of existing substances
• establishing an efficient risk assessment process
• requiring the registration of all substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 1 ton or more per year.

A key priority in the implementation of REACH is close cooperation and coordination with our customers and suppliers, to ensure that the required information is exchanged between all players in the supply chain.

We are well positioned and committed to support our customers in making this challenging task a success. We will also continue to provide input to the EU institutions, to contribute to the development of a workable REACH legislation.

To find out more on AkzoNobel's position towards REACH, please go to: www.akzonobel.com/sustainability/reach/