Reach: Wacker Successfully Completes Phase II Registration
Munich
The Munich-based chemical group WACKER has registered a further 67 substances with the European regulatory framework for chemicals REACH (registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals). The required substance dossiers were recently submitted on time to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, Finland. WACKER thereby meets the requirements for continuing production of these substances and exporting them to other EU countries. The term for registering substances produced in quantities of between 100 and 1,000 metric tons expired at the end of May.
In 2009, WACKER already submitted the first dossiers for “phase-in” substances produced in amounts of 1,000 metric tons or more annually. By the end of the first registration phase in November 2010, the number had increased to 86. In May of this year, a further 67 assessments were added. About half of the substance dossiers to be submitted to the European Chemicals Agency have thus been registered. “This ensures that we can continue to not only produce these substances and the products manufactured from them at our sites within the EU, but also import them into other EU countries,” said WACKER Executive Board member Auguste Willems, marking the successful conclusion of the second registration phase.
REACH legislation, which came into force in 2007, governs the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals within the European Union. REACH imposes high requirements on the manufacturers, importers and users of chemical products. All substances on the European market that are produced or imported in annual quantities exceeding one metric ton must be registered and evaluated. The scope of evaluation work is largely determined by the quantity produced or imported and the expected risks. By the cut-off date of May 31, 2013, approximately 6,600 different substances had been registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki in almost 33,000 dossiers.
The third and final phase of registration of phase-in substances has now begun. By June 2018, all substances produced in amounts up to 100 metric tons annually must be registered. WACKER is preparing 160 substance dossiers for this phase. “Our experts compile a huge amount of data for each dossier,” stressed Willems. “We assess each substance according to its properties and also describe the basic rules for using it safely.”
When REACH registration is complete, the Munich-based chemical company will have submitted a total of over 300 dossiers. “We currently estimate that REACH will cost us around 30 million euros”, stated the WACKER Executive Board: “By 2018, we will have done most of the work required to comply with REACH. As a chemical manufacturer, we are thereby actively contributing to the safe handling of chemical products within and outside of the EU.”
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