Chemical Management and the Regulation of REACH
Ecobio provides expert services related to the handling of chemical substances. REACH is the new European Union regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. REACH came into force on the 1st June 2007. According to REACH, manufacturers or importers of chemical substances are required to register them with the central European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), located in Helsinki. The amount of substance data needed for the registration depends on the amount of substance manufactured or supplied. Registration is required for all substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 1 tonne per year or more. If you do not register, you will no longer be able to manufacture or supply them legally, i.e. no registration, no market!
It is the duty of the importer to register substances. Thus, companies from outside the EU cannot register substances themselves. However, companies exporting to the EU can appoint an Only Representative (a legal entity located within the EU) to handle the registration process. Should they do so, the registration burden will fall on the Only Representative and the importers will become downstream users. For manufacturers outside the EU, appointing an Only Representative is a way of ensuring that importers in the EU will not switch to chemical suppliers within the EU, just in order to escape the registration burden.
Ecobio provides companies expert guidance and consultation on how to fulfil REACH requirements. We help companies to recognize their roles and obligations and provide assistance on what measures to take, and when. Ecobio assists companies with the practical aspects of REACH, such as compiling chemical inventories, gathering data for the registration package, assisting with pre-registration (through REACH-IT), etc. Ecobio also provides strategic business consultation on the impact of REACH on your company’s business (cost factors, business opportunities, the impact of CMR substances on product image, substance availability in the future, etc.). Ecobio provides services for companies both within and outside the European Union.
Ecobio’s experts have master’s degrees in chemical and environmental engineering. Our strength lies in combining environmental and chemical expertise. Our experts have been trained to use the IUCLID 6 (International Uniform Chemicals Information Database) software application. IUCLID6 is an essential IT tool for industry to comply with REACH requirements. IUCLID 56is used, together with REACH-IT, for submitting registration data to the European Chemicals Agency.
Our REACH services include:
- REACH impact assessment
- strategic planning and recommendations: best practices and REACH responsibilities within the organization
- chemical substance inventories and preparing for pre-registration
- pre-registration (through REACH-IT)
- managing chemical substance data and entering of data (through IUCLID 6)
- third party representative services
- information in the supply chain (handling inquiries, safety data sheets)
- preparation and submissions of registration dossiers
- assistance in obtaining of special services(such as toxicity and eco-toxicity testing services)
- REACH training and workshops
- REACH for executive managers (costs, cost savers, business opportunities).
