ECHA Refers 2018 REACH Registrants To New Data Search Tools, Funding Options

The European Chemicals Agency is promoting a searchable list of lead registrants, accessible through a new interactive infographic, among other tools and resources available to support industry compliance, particularly among SMEs, as the 2018 REACH registration deadline draws closer.

The European Chemicals Agency continues work to support pending REACH 2018 registrations amid a building sense of urgency and concerns that many low-volume registrants may be ill-positioned to comply with next year's final phase-in deadline.

The Directors' Contact Group, which facilitates the exchange of views between the European Commission, ECHA and industry associations, issued a recommendation Nov. 27 urging companies to communicate their 2018 registration intentions to entities throughout the supply chain to avoid potential disruptions.

The DRG is chaired by Geert Dancet, executive director at ECHA, which oversees the EU's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals regulation.

The group says suppliers in particular should let customers know what substances they plan (or do not plan) to register to ensure that crucial ingredients aren't unexpectedly unavailable come May 31, 2018, the deadline for chemicals currently manufactured or imported in the EU in volumes of 1 ton to 100 tons per year.

For the 10-100 tonnage band, suppliers also should specify the uses their registrations will cover, according to the recommendation.

Further, the DCG encourages companies to assume Lead Registrant roles where appropriate, make this function visible on ECHA's online REACH-IT platform and agree to having their contact details published.

The directors also agreed at their late November meeting to publish a fact sheet regarding access to EU finance.

The document notes that under the 2013 REACH deadline for chemicals produced or imported in volumes of 100 to 1,000 tons annually, 15% of surveyed companies that successfully registered substances required a bank loan or other credit facility to be able to fund their letters of access, which allow use of shared data.

"Whenever own resources do not suffice or the annual company budgets necessitate spreading expenditure over time, access to finance is of essence," the DCG observes. "Notoriously, securing such access presents a challenge for SMEs."

The fact sheet highlights options including grants, as well as loans and venture capital provided from EU financial instruments, which are delivered through national intermediaries.

Commercial loans also may be obtainable, though the DCG notes that "in the current economic environment in which banks need to consolidate their credit portfolios, bank funding for companies is constrained."

A recent study commissioned by ECHA found that a significant proportion of small- and medium-sized enterprises are struggling with their 2018 registration duties under REACH, with costs cited as the biggest obstacle to compliance. (Also see "Never Mind IUCLID: Study Identifies Costs As Biggest Obstacle To SMEs’ REACH Registration" - HBW Insight, 10 Oct, 2017.)

A relatively large number of SMEs are subject to the 2018 deadline compared with previous REACH phase-in registration deadlines for higher tonnage bands, based on ECHA's projections. (Also see "EC Looks To Reduce REACH Burden For Smaller Firms" - HBW Insight, 11 Feb, 2013.)

The DCG is scheduled to meet again Dec. 15. Topics slated for discussion include the planned endorsement of an approach for easing the financial burden on SMEs in the 1-10 tonnage band.

ECHA Opens New Stats Gateway

ECHA notes that the 2018 REACH deadline will go a long way toward closing the knowledge gap regarding existing substances on the European market.

Already, ECHA houses data on more than 17,000 chemicals registered under REACH.

The agency announced Nov. 30 the launch of a new interactive infographic – a map of the EU – that enables users to gain insight into the overall registration picture by European country.

The graphic also includes a "Find Your Lead Registrant" button that pulls up searchable tables.

According to ECHA's release, the statistics pages provide visibility into:

• The number of unique substances registered, their registration type (full or intermediate), the substance type (existing or new substance) and the approximate total tonnage on the EU/EEA market;
• The number of registrations, their type (full or intermediate) and role of the company that submitted the registration (manufacturer, importer, etc.);
• The most commonly registered chemicals;
• The number of unique companies that have registered chemicals, their company size and role in the supply chain;
• All of the above by individual EU/EEA country and by year, month or week.

Other moves from the agency to open its trove of collected data to stakeholders include the launch of a IUCLID portal earlier this year that provides access to key study data submitted under REACH.

(Also see "Cosmetics News In Brief: ECHA Makes Non-Confidential REACH Data More Accessible" - HBW Insight, 31 Mar, 2017.)