REACH 2018 and the Future of SIEFs

REACH provides that each SIEF (Substance Information Exchange Forum) shall be operational until June 1, 2018. The law doesn’t say anything beyond the period after June. Of course, the ECHA will continue to request data on chemicals, and dossiers must be updated after the deadline. A process must also exist to guarantee how to distribute costs among the registrants.

According to a report issued by ChemicalWatch, the ECHA is actively working with the EC
Commission to create a platform that enables companies to meet their REACH obligations
after the deadline.

The first SIEFs were established more than ten years ago, at the beginning of REACH
registrations. They were intended to force information exchange among companies about available studies to avoid animal testing and to come to an agreement regarding the classification of a substance. A SIEF exists for many chemicals. As a result, the registration phases have resulted in the creation of ever more SIEFs, sometimes with as many as 1,000 members.

The ECHA fears that after the deadline, arguments about a fair distribution of data could become more intense. The Regulation on Data-Sharing issued in January 2016 should help clarify matters. Please read our blog news “Regulation on Data-Sharing Takes Effect”. A common platform for communications is urgently needed, given the announcement by the new ECHA Director, Björn Hansen, that updating the data and the dossiers are among his top priorities.

Representatives of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) welcomed the work of the ECHA on a continuance of the SIEFs. Nonetheless, competitive provisions must be agreed upon and assurances made to ensure that the only data shared is assigned to a specific regulatory purpose.

We have supported companies with registrations in the context of SIEF for many years. If you have any questions, please contact us at reach@kft.de.