Industry Wants to Help Develop the ECHA’s SVHC Database
A group of 17 industry associations in the EU have sent a letter to the EU Commission and asked to participate in the development of the ECHA database for substances of very high concern (SVHC). According to the new Waste Framework Directive that went into effect in July 2018, the database is to be operative by January 5, 2021. The British agency ChemicalWatch supplied this information.
The ECHA database is the result of the revised Article 9 of the Waste Framework Directive. The revision links the obligation to supply information according to Article 33 Section 1 of REACH (on SVHC in products) with the regulations on waste abatement. Article 9, Section 1, point (i) of the EU Waste Framework Directive requires entities to “promote the reduction of the content of hazardous substances in materials and products, without prejudice to harmonised legal requirements concerning those materials and products laid down at Union level, and ensure that any supplier of an article as defined in point 33 of Article 3 of REACH Regulation provides the information pursuant to Article 33(1) of that Regulation to the ECHA as from 5 January 2021.”
Accordingly, product manufacturers, importers, and other players in the supply chain are required to provide information on SVHC. Article 9, Section 2 of the Waste Framework Directive requires the ECHA to set up and maintain an appropriate database.
The group that authored the letter represents the majority of product manufacturers, importers, and dealers in the EU. They are calling for close collaboration in the development of the SVHC database. They also believe that that’s the only good way to link the data acquisition systems of the companies involved with those of the ECHA. The authors strongly encourage development of a platform that all participants can use to exchange information and follow the development of the database.
In a position paper issued at the end of last year, industry representatives expressed their reservations about the planned ECHA database.
Do your Products contain SVHC and do you want to be sure about their legal compliance? Please contact us at any time at reach@kft.de.
