The pre-registration of chemicals required by the EU’s REACH chemicals Regulation, has started. All chemicals being imported into the EU region or produced in the regions must be pre-registered by the end of the year. Finnish service providers see new business opportunities.

The pre-registration period started at the beginning of June. According to the Regulation, a company will pre-register chemicals it uses if it imports them into the EU region or produces a minimum of one tonne of them annually in the EU region.

Chemicals must also be pre-registered if they are part of some preparation such as paints or cleaning agents. Likewise, there may be chemicals that require pre-registration in machinery, equipment and many consumer goods and objects.

Free of charge and easy

Pre-registration is done online directly at the website of the European Chemicals Agency, which started operating in Helsinki a year ago. “Pre-registering is free of charge and easy,” says Juhani Sormunen, Communications Officer at the European Chemicals Agency.

“Pre-registration gives companies a transitory period for making the actual registration. If a company doesn’t do it, it will have to register its substances as soon as the pre-registration period is over.”

By pre-registering what it imports or produces a chemicals company can avail itself of the transitory period for registration. Pre-registration will be followed by registration, which will be a condition for importing and producing chemicals in the future.

The first substances being used must be registered at the latest by 1 December 2010, the next by 1 June 2013 and the final ones by 1 June 2017. If registration of a substance is not completed on time, the production and supply of the substance must be halted once the registration deadline has expired.

Helpline available

According to the national REACH helpdesk, many companies have only recently woken up to finding out about their own obligations. Not all those who produce or import chemicals or products containing them are fully aware as yet of the existence of REACH.

The national REACH helpline, which started at the same time as the Agency, has answered hundreds of questions concerning pre-registration. The service says that the range of questions has shown how diverse and in parts how difficult it is to understand the Regulation.

The European Chemicals Agency and its helpline have produced detailed guidelines that the Agency publishes on its website as back-up to the Regulation’s text. National helplines in other countries have also networked and seek joint answers to difficult questions at the EU level.

What is the Reach Regulation? REACH is the Regulation, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals. Producers and importers operating in the EU region are obliged to assess the risks caused by using substances. The aim is to promote the safe use of chemicals, improve the protection of health and the environment and keep the EU’s chemical industry competitive.

>> www.echa.eu

With the European Chemicals Agency, Helsinki is growing into the main meeting place for players in the European chemical industry. (Photo: ECHA)