Packaging firms must check supplier awareness of Reach rules

Reach requires that all chemicals of one tonne or more that have been manufactured in or imported into the EU are registered with the ECHA.

Pre-registration allows companies to submit their complete registration dossiers by the deadlines of 2010, 2013 or 2018 that apply to most chemicals currently on the market. Suppliers will also be able to share data on the chemicals they register.

But companies that do not pre-register a chemical cannot continue manufacturing or importing it after 1 December 2008 until they make a full registration with the ECHA.

By and large, packaging does not manufacture anything that would be directly covered by the legislation.

But there has been some concern over the impact on recycled materials, which can contain contaminants that might not have been covered by Reach, even if the virgin material is.

Two in five of 241 senior executives across six industries surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for its Waking up to Reach report had limited awareness of the regulations and one in four executives felt the legislation would have no impact on their business.

Tim Jessel, commercial director of REACHReady, the subsidiary of the Chemical Industries Association that runs seminars and offers guidance on the Reach legislation, said: "Many firms are more than taking Reach on board and are taking it upon themselves to educate their supply chains.

"The Packaging Federation, for example, is also doing its bit to ensure companies are aware and ready to meet their obligations. The converse is also true and there are companies out there that wish it would all go away. Some are even convinced that it will, but they are mistaken."

British Plastics Federation (BPF) industrial issues executive Sarah Plant said "almost every" UK plastics business would be affected in some way by Reach.

But the advice on offer was "very generic" and was not specific on key areas such as the possible impact on the recycling industry.

Jessel said Reach could reduce product liability for the packaging, retail and consumer goods industries by providing more information about how to safely use the substances needed to make their products.

"Consumers will benefit by being reassured that the substances contained within the products they are buying have been tested for that use," he added. "They will also be able to find out for the first time on request if the products they have bought contain hazardous chemicals."

More on Reach from the EC website

Information about Reach is also available from the HSE website

The European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment has published a 13-page guide to the new Reach legislation for companies in the packaging distribution chain. More from www.europen.be.

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