REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) is the European regulation. It addresses the production and use of chemical substances and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment. The regulation also established the European Chemical Agency (ECHA), which manages the technical, scientific, and administrative aspects of REACH.
REACH describes substances of very high concern (SVHC). Producers, importers or suppliers of products that contain SVHC-listed substances are obliged to notify ECHA when:
working in Europe,
and the total quantity used is more than one tone per year,
and/or the SVHC is present at more than 0.1% of the mass of one produced object.
ECHA has included 6 new substances to the SVHC list for authorization, extending it to a total of 197 substances. Four of the substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were added to the SVHC list with the involvement of the Member State Committee (MSC) after public consultation. More information about the substances and reasons for their inclusion on the SVHC list are informed below.
Substances added to the SVHC list
Pyrene
Reason for inclusion: Substance is toxic, very persistent and very bioaccumulative in accordance with the criteria set out in Annex XIII.
CAS No.: 129-00-0; 1218-52-1
Phenanthrene
Reason for inclusion: Substance is very persistent and very bioaccumulative in accordance with the citeria set out in Annex XIII.
CAS No.: 85-01-08
3-Benzylidenecamphor
Reason for inclusion: Substance is toxic for reproduction (article 57c).
The chemical industry supplies raw materials to almost every other industry and is essential for economic competitiveness. Although essential, chemicals must be properly managed to avoid damage to human health and the environment. Each country or economic union has a specific way of regulating and controlling chemicals. Within the European Union, we have REACH.
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. It is a European Union regulation that addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment. REACH came into force on the first of June 2007 and has been described as the most complex legislation in the European Union’s history.
REACH AIM: Improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals and promote alternative methods for the assessment of hazards of substances.
How does REACH work?
REACH establishes procedures for collecting and assessing information on the properties and hazards of substances. The regulation has been established by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which manages the technical, scientific, and administrative aspects of REACH.
ECHA receives and evaluates individual registrations for their compliance. Further EU member states evaluate selected substances to clarify initial concerns for human health or for the environment. Authorities and ECHA’s scientific committees assess whether the risks of substances can be managed.
To comply with the regulation, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They must demonstrate how the substance can be safely used, and they must communicate the risk management measures to the users.
REACH obligations are not only complied with manufacturers of chemical substances, but also to all companies which deal with preparations of the product or articles that contain those substances. For this reason, REACH has an impact on a wide range of companies across many sectors.
If you are an importer of chemical and non-chemical products (such as paints, clothes, furniture, plastic, etc.) you need to ensure that all components should be registered under REACH. Companies established outside the EU are not bound to the obligations of REACH.
The responsibility for fulfilling the requirements of REACH, lies with the importers established in the European Union, or with the only representative of a non-EU manufacturer established in the European Union. REACH applies to substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year, per manufacturer/importer. Some substances are excluded from all or certain aspects of REACH.
Total exemptions
Radio-active substances
Substances under customs supervision
Substances used in the interest of defense and covered by National exemptions
Waste
Non-isolated intermediates and transported substance
Partial exemptions
Substances used in food
Medicinal products;
Substances included in Annex IV of the REACH Regulation which are known to be safe (such as Nitrogen)
Corn
Oil
Substances covered by Annex V of the REACH Regulation
Substances which occur in nature, if they are not chemically modified
Minerals
ores, ore concentrates
cement clinker
natural gas
liquefied petroleum gas
natural gas condensate, process gases and components thereof
crude oil, coal, coke
Substances occurring in nature other than those listed under paragraph 7, if they are not chemically modified unless they meet the criteria for classification as dangerous according to Directive 67/548/EEC. (Examples include beeswax and some fibers)
Polymers (however, monomer shall be registered)
Recycled or recovered substance already registered
Re-imported substance
Substances used for the purposes of product and process-oriented research and development (PPORD) Note: PPORD notification shall be submitted instead.
China, the largest chemical manufacturer in the world, has also moved towards a more efficient and coherent system for the control of chemicals in compliance with GHS. Balkan countries such as Croatia and Serbia are in the process of adopting the EU REACH system under the auspices of the EU IPA program.
Switzerland has moved towards the implementation of REACH through partial revision of the Swiss Chemical Ordinance. Turkey has also paved the way to adopt REACH with the new Chemicals Management Regulation.
Transported isolated intermediates
Manufacturers or importers of transported isolated intermediates in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year need to submit a registration dossier(unless the substance is exempted from the registration provisions). The information to be submitted for standard registration purposes is listed under article 10.
However, a registrant of transported isolated intermediates can provide reduced registration information according to article 18 (2) if he confirms that he is manufacturing and/or using the substance under strictly controlled conditions and if he confirms himself or states that he has received confirmation from the user that the substance is used under strictly controlled conditions as described under article 18 (4).
In that case, both the registrant and the users are each liable for their own statement regarding the strictly controlled conditions.
Article 18 on CheMondis
As described in our Terms & Conditions, suppliers must comply with the regulations in order to sell their products on CheMondis. Next to safety and technical datasheets, users can add other relevant information about their products.
Further, suppliers are requested to tick a specific box indicating that their products are regulated by article 18, which covers the registration of transported isolated intermediates.
Our chemical team constantly re-checks all product information, including the indications about article 18. Nevertheless, CheMondis cannot be heald liable for all information provided by third-party-sellers.
Thank you for taking the time to read the CheMondis Blog.
Official Go-Live, geographical expansion and a new advisory board
Exactly 6 months ago on the 5th of November 2018, CheMondis launched its brand-new B2B marketplace, starting off in a public beta version. Half a year later we are proud to look back – and excited to take the next step.
In the meantime, more than 500 companies have registered and are using CheMondis to digitize their sales, marketing, and procurement. Already today we are proud to be the largest marketplace network for the chemical industry in Europe.
Our network continues to grow, product listings are increasing every day and the marketplace itself is evolving in terms of features. This is the perfect time to take the next step. We are very excited to announce three major adjustments.
1. We are officially live.
As of today, we are leaving our beta phase and we are officially live. Every company with a valid VAT/GST number and a legitimate interest in buying or selling chemicals can register. We will continue to validate every Registration single-handedly to assure that the high level of trust between market participants can grow further.
2. We expand globally.
With the end of our public beta phase, we are ready to take the next step in terms of growth. During the past couple of months, we had to decline a lot of requests from companies in Australia, South-East-Asia, or South America to join CheMondis.
Now we are happy to announce that we are opening the CheMondis platformto new markets, around the world.
3. We have a new advisory board.
We want to continue to learn from the best and most experienced experts of both the chemical industry and the tech world. This is why we established a new advisory board with industry experts helping us to take the next steps successfully. Our advisory board will comprise three industry leaders with very diverse backgrounds:
Marc Stilke, Business Angel and Venture Partner
Marc Stilke is an expert in Platform Economy. Marc led Immobilienscout24.de and their IPO. Previously Marc worked for Bertelsmann and AdLINK Internet Media AG.
Pouya Azimi, Managing Director of Mobilab
Pouya Azimi is the founder and managing director of Mobilab, offering mobile payment and master data management. Pouya founded Mobilab directly after graduating from the university and has successfully grown his company for more than 7 years.
Matthias Zachert, CEO at LANXESS
Matthias Zachert is the CEO of LANXESS and brings a wealth of experience from the Chemical industry.
Thank you for taking the time to read the CheMondis Blog.
As a B2B marketplace, CheMondis is dedicated to connecting key players of the chemical supply chain. We offer a unique digital purchasing and distribution experience on a cloud-based platform.
With a century-old chemical heritage powered by a start-up attitude, CheMondis puts its expertise at the use of its members. Our role is that of a matchmaker joining chemical product supply of certified suppliers with demand from validated Buyers.
Take advantage of our comprehensive know-how of the chemical industry by finding, purchasing, and receiving chemical products from a pool of certified suppliers. You can buy products with guaranteed availability and price. Or if you choose so, negotiate individual terms and prices directly with your suppliers and get instant order confirmation.
All transactions with your suppliers are documented and are available to you. Plus, buyers have complete extensive commercial information on all the products and suppliers on the CheMondis marketplace 24/7.
What can CheMondis offer to Suppliers?
Simple: high online visibility of your product portfolio to validated and certified buyers! Upload your products on the CheMondis marketplace, receive and process purchase orders directly and, by doing so, reduce your CO2 costs.
Show up among the first few results of a query on search engines. CheMondis even allows you to negotiate directly with your customers through in-built chat features.
Don’t miss out on the online experience. Make CheMondis work for you.
Thank you for taking the time to read the CheMondis Blog.
Team CheMondis is an agile and entrepreneurial group of experts from the Chemical Industry and the world of technology. Our diverse team consists of a variety of personalities, from twelve different nationalities and cultural backgrounds – organized in three teams.
Team-Leader and Managing Director Sebastian Brenner works as the glue holding the team together. Constantly staying on top of industry trends, inspiring employees to set the scale and urging them to look further than their existing boundaries and concepts.
He brings close to two decades of corporate chemical expertise with him, formerly employed at renowned industry leaders – Bayer, Syngenta and LANXESS.
“Our objective is to be more than a group of co-workers. We are a Team!“
Sebastian Brenner – Managing Director
Team-Leader and Head of Commercial Cornelia Birnbrich leads the commercial landscape. Establishing new sales and marketing strategies and boosting business growth, by setting and delivering the commercial goals.
“We foster an environment that sparks a sense of unity.“
Cornelia Birnbrich – Head of Commercial
Business Development Managers David Kunisch, Keum-Won Jung, Patricia Moock, and Dr. Julia Schloots work hand in hand with Chemical Product Manager Julie Gai and Senior Performance Marketing Manager Rouzbeh Shahryari, in Team Commercial.
Talent Acquisition Partner Irene Prinz and Office Manager Alina Knoop work together in Team Staff.
SCRUM Master Susanne Unger and Product Manager Markus Oligslagers work alongside with our Backend-Developers: Vladimir Stashkov, Sufyan Afzal, Mikhail Kirichenko, Roman Bulgakov and Mihail Tsonev, in Team Product and Team Engineering.
Furthermore, a handful of interns and working students support the CheMondis Team.
Thank you for taking the time to read the CheMondis Blog.
