...BYK (Wesel, Germany) is one of the first companies in the chemical sector to complete the official pre-registration within the framework of the REACH regulation. Only four days after the start of the pre-registration phase on June 1, 2008, BYK was able to complete the complex undertaking as early as June 4. "For our customers this means maximum and earliest possible certainty that our products remain available as normal," Dr. Gerald Kirchner, head of product development at BYK explains.... more...

...Protected ornamentals growers are now bracing themselves for restrictions on chemical use. Gavin McEwan reports Changes to the way chemicals are registered for use in the protected ornamentals sector are likely to reduce sharply the range available to growers, leaving many having to rethink their whole approach to pest and disease control.... more...

...The recent Process Engineering Journal news and features coverage reflects how today's seen-to-be-green politicians (of all colours) are continuing to ignore industry when devising environmental, health and safety regulations - at the expense of missing the targets they presumably want to see delivered Government policies to reduce carbon emissions will make the UK uncompetitive and add more cost than benefits, according to a recent npower survey of senior managers and energy buyers at SMEs and large industrial and commercial firms.... more...

...In the global economy, environmental 'non-compliance' is a 'non-option.' Alongside more populist topics -- such as energy consumption and carbon footprints -- demonstrating regulatory compliance, reducing hazardous substances, new chemical substitutions and systems for monitoring/controlling product compliance should be major concerns as manufacturers create and implement a comprehensive Green program.... more...

...KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and Chemical Industries Council Malaysia (CICM) will spearhead the industry-government national Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH) implementation programme. Towards this end, a national steering committee on EU-REACH implementation has been set up comprising members from government agencies and industry associations, MITI said in a statement today.... more...

...Chemical manufacturers, importers and users need to check new EU rules regarding chemical control and pre-register their use or face being forced to halt their activities. Between 1 June and 1 December, businesses can register in advance the chemicals they make or import with the European Chemicals Agency (known as ECHA) in Helsinki. Failing to do so could force businesses to stop manufacturing or importing substances until they are registered.... more...

...Health and safety data on all forms of carbon sold in the European Union will soon be required, according to the first European Commission (EC) proposal to amend the Registration, Evaluation & Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) program. Representatives of EU governments voted in favor of removing an exemption for carbon under REACH to close a loophole in the law that allows nanoscale forms of carbon to be sold without testing.... more...

...Following its official launch on 1 June, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has started to accept pre-registrations of chemicals under the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) legislation. The 200 staff working at the agency have a mammoth task ahead of them, given that some 200,000 pre-registrations are expected... more...

...New EU rules governing the use of chemicals could be more far reaching than many firms think, according to environment minister Phil Woolas. Writing today on BusinessGreen.com, Woolas advised that organisations should to act now to assess how the new registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals programme (REACH) could impact them and what measures they should take to ensure they are compliant with the legislation... more...

...Viviane Maraghi expected the blood tests to show she would have some chemical pollution in her body, but nothing like this. After all, she viewed herself as "very environmentalist," carefully monitoring what she ate and the household products and items she purchased. Nevertheless, lead, arsenic, mercury, PCBs, PBDEs (a flame retardant banned in Europe and eight U.S. states but still in use in Canada), plus an array of other chemicals that have been linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological diseases were all well represented in her bloodstream.... more...

...Complying with European REACH legislation - the acronym stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals - and processing several thousand substance registrations is a huge operational challenge. It would be impossible to master without a software solution such as the one offered by SAP and TechniData.... more...

...After all, she viewed herself as "very environmentalist," carefully monitoring what she ate and and the household products and items she purchased. Nevertheless, lead, arsenic, mercury, PCBs, PBDEs (a flame retardant banned in Europe and eight U.S. states but still in use in Canada), plus an array of other chemicals that have been linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological diseases were all well represented in her bloodstream.... more...

...The REACH -- Registration, Evaluation, Authorization (and Restriction) of Chemicals -regulation entered into force throughout the European Union in June 2007, with phased implementation and significant work required before 2009.... more...

...New EU rules for controlling chemicals will increase confidence in their safe use - but manufacturers, importers and users of chemicals need to get involved now. People who manufacture in or import chemicals from outside Europe in quantities over one tonne are required to register these chemicals as part of the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals programme (REACH). Under REACH, chemicals will be fully evaluated and controlled to manage risks to people and the environment.... more...

...Zhou Xin finds the picture of a giant test tube outside the European Commission building in Brussels a little unsettling. It's an advertisement for REACH, the new European Union regulation on chemical manufacturing and imports, which comes into effect from June 1. Zhou, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, and many others like him fear Chinese exporters are not ready for REACH.... more...

...The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has been opened in Helsinki by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and vice-president Guenter Verheugen together with Gerard Onesta, vice-president of the European Parliament, and Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen.... more...

...An online service has been launched to help businesses meet the requirements of the REACH regulations. REACH-VEN is designed to help companies to preregister and to begin working together as part of a Substance Information Exchange Forum (SIEF) Preparation Consortium, in advance of forming a full SIEF.... more...

...Manufacturers are being encouraged to work together to meet REACH legislation requirements, using a new online service. REACH-VEN is aimed at helping companies pre-register and begin collaborating as part of a substance information exchange forum (SIEF) preparation consortium, ahead of forming a full SIEF.... more...

...There are many reasons why the electronics industry should be concerned about the European Union's (EU) chemical law - Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), and all of these reasons will impact your company's bottom line. The most important reason is that electronic products are made of chemicals. However, many businesses fail to see that their parts or assemblies are a bill of materials of chemicals that went into processing and manufacturing the parts they use. In addition, many of the chemicals have toxic properties.... more...

...Last June, the EU’s environmental testing law for the chemicals industry - Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) - went into effect. The main objective of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment from any chemical risks, while maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.... more...

...REACHReady, an advisory firm dedicated to helping firms comply with the EU's new rules governing the registration of chemicals, has urged firms to wait until July before pre-registering the chemicals they manufacture or import with the European Chemicals Agency (ECA).... more...

...ASTM F2725, Standard Guide for European Union’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals Supply Chain Information Exchange, provides step-by-step instruction throughout the inventory process, including planning and processing orders; handling; and transporting and storing of all materials purchased, processed or distributed among players on the chain to fulfill compliance requirements.... more...

...If you manufacture, import, sell or use chemical substances you must comply with the REACH Regulation. REACH aims to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment through the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances. Key dates:... more...

...Electronic equipment manufacturers are facing a massive increase in the amount of data they need to gather from their suppliers on the substances used in their products. The European Commission is expected to add at least four more substances to the RoHS Directive, whilst Article 33 of the REACH Regulation will require all manufacturers to provide customers with information on whether their products contain >0.1% of any ‘substances of very high concern’ on the REACH ‘candidate list’ of substances.... more...

...In an Xtalks.com live webinar (to be recorded for download) experts from BASF, the world’s leading chemical company will explain the different aspects of REACH, focusing on its specific impact on the affected industries and practice-based recommendations. The webinar is aimed at companies from all sectors, regardless of their size and position in the supply chain.... more...

...REACH - the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals Directive - is aimed at protecting human health and the environment, as well as improving industry competitiveness and innovation. The regulation stipulates all chemicals and preparations - substances of very high concern (SVHC) - currently manufactured or imported into Europe in quantities of more than 1tonne per annum will need to be registered.... more...

...The European Commission has released the final version of RIP 3.8 - the guidance on requirements for substances in articles. This is the definitive guidance that exporters to the EU have been waiting for since the last draft in May 2006 - and released just 5 days before REACh pre-registration of substances starts.... more...