Companies asked to communicate their registration intentions for 2018

ECHA/NA/17/28

The Directors’ Contact Group (DCG) – a platform of the European Commission, ECHA and industry associations – recommends that companies communicate their registration intentions clearly to the whole supply chain to avoid potential disruptions in supply after the 31 May 2018 registration deadline.

Helsinki, 29 November 2017 – The DCG met on 27 November to discuss solutions for issues that have been raised in relation to the 31 May 2018 REACH registration deadline for low-volume chemicals. In particular, the directors identified a need to call upon suppliers to communicate their registration intentions to their customers to avoid crucial substances not being registered and supply chains being disrupted. Suppliers should let their customers know of their plans to register both individual substances and substances in mixtures. For the 10 to 100 tonne registrations, they should also identify the uses their registrations intend to cover and communicate them downstream.

To that end, the DCG issued a recommendation urging companies to step up their efforts to communicate their registration intentions. Industry associations represented in the DCG are committed to pass on this recommendation to their members.

The directors also agreed to publish a factsheet on access to EU finance. It gives helpful advice to companies that need to find resources to ensure safe handling of their substances and to those that choose to take action to substitute their chemicals with more sustainable alternatives.

The DCG further decided to revoke its advisory document on data sharing as it has been superseded by the Commission Implementing Regulation of January 2016.

The recommendation and the factsheet can be found on the DCG web page. A summary of the meeting is available as a communiqué.

The DCG will meet again on 15 December 2017. At this meeting, the directors will review the DCG solutions it had established for the 2010 and 2013 REACH registration deadlines. Those solutions that shall remain valid for the 2018 deadline will be available by the REACH 2018 Stakeholders’ Day, 31 January 2018. Directors will also continue discussions with the aim to endorse an approach intended to ease the financial burden on SMEs preparing to submit registrations in the 1 – 10 tonnage band.