The UK formally left the EU on 31st January 2020 following the Brexit vote in 2016. We are now in the final stages of a transition period which comes to an end this year. With this looming deadline in mind, the Government has recently updated their REACH guidance, helping businesses to understand what they need to do from 1st January 2021.
What is REACH?
REACH is a significant piece of legislation within the chemicals industry, having an impact on the way we manufacture and source chemicals.
REACH stands for R egistration, E valuation, A uthorisation and restriction of Ch emicals and it came into force on 1st June 2007 to replace a number of different European directives and regulations with just one, singular system.
The reason REACH is so important, is because it stands for a variety of measures adopted to provide a high level of protection to human health and the environment from the risks that chemicals can present. It also plays a huge role in ensuring the chemical industry is transparent, competitive and safe, making companies responsible for understanding and managing the risks associated with the products they provide
When does UK Reach come into effect?
The UK REACH framework comes into force on 1st January 2021 and directly impacts any business making, selling or distributing chemicals in the UK and EU. According to gov.uk UK REACH will maintain the EU REACH’s aims and principles we are already familiar with.
• The “no data, no market” principle
• The “last resort” principle on animal testing
• Access to information for workers
• The precautionary principle
The effect of UK REACH on business:
Manufacturers and importers have a duty to register chemicals that access the UK market under UK REACH. UK companies which are registered under EU REACH will no longer be able to sell into the European Economic Area without transferring their registrations to an EU/EEA- based organisation.
For more information on preparing for UK REACH along with HSE guidance on ‘grandfathering’ EU held registrations by UK-based companies, EU held registrations for UK downstream users, tonnage band deadlines, EU market access, importing and compliance please visit the gov.uk website by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-comply-with-reach-chemical-regulations
