Kemira is preparing for the coming of the European Union’s REACH Regulation with its own Competence Center, which will be the centralized location for the risk assessment, registration and permit applications for substances produced or imported in the EU region by the company.

“The number of substances to be registered by Kemira is well over one hundred. Their dossiers will be weighted towards the beginning of the ten-year registration period defined in the Regulation i.e. 2007 – 2010. In addition, the Competence Center will bring the data systems for Kemira’s product safety to the level required by REACH,” says Liisa Vahteristo, who began as head of the Competence Center in February.

Vahteristo came to Kemira from the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Italy . The new job at the Center, which operates in tandem with the research centre at Espoo , has proved to be challenging and interesting.

“The Competence Center did not start from scratch at the beginning of this year. Kemira had already done a lot of preparatory work before the establishment of the Competence Center ,” Vahteristo points out.

From substance inventory to notifications

The work at the Center has started with an inventory of substances which lists all the substances to be registered by the company and their volumes i.e. the annual amounts in tonnes and their uses. After this, a compilation will be made of company material that relates to each substance and can be used in the registration such as the physical-chemical properties, information about dangers, toxicity and ecotoxicity as well as exposure and monitoring information.

“The preparatory work also includes obtaining information about outside sources, possible data banks and risk-assessment programmes, so that as comprehensive a picture as possible about the dangers from a substance and the risk-management methods still needed will be formed,” Vahteristo adds.

“REACH will require changes to existing systems e.g. for safety data sheets. Our unit has been ensuring right from the outset that everything necessary can be found and will be ready on time.”

Benefits of coordination and synergy

“It is to the benefit of a company the size of Kemira if preparations for the registration requirements can be made in a coordinated fashion. REACH will bring in its wake further requirements for specialist work. It is logical to concentrate expertise such as this on the unit now established,” Vahteristo says.

The efficient handling of registrations would be a benefit for Kemira as a supplier of chemicals. The availability of substances for customers would be assured in the future.

“The centralization of registrations and the activities it requires will bring clear synergistic benefits. When your own unit is responsible for registrations, each business area can concentrate better on its own core activities.”

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