Colors are passion, emotions and personality. At Siegwerk, inks and coatings are our specialty and we use color to bring the packaging and products of our customers to life.
REACH: Pre-registration phase successfully managed
REACH: Pre-registration phase successfully managed
On December 1 the so called pre-registration phase of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals) has ended. The major benefit is that pre-registered chemicals can still be placed on the European market until the cost-intensive registration becomes mandatory. Corporate Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) has successfully managed the process within Siegwerk.
Managing of the pre-registration phase
In collaboration with Global Purchasing and different Business Units, HSE has established a comprehensive inventory reflecting the REACH status of all constituents used for the manufacturing of Siegwerk products.
“Based on this data, we have confirmation that all raw materials used in the manufacturing of our products have been pre-registered according to the provisions of the REACH regulation”, explains Jörg-Peter Langhammer, Vice President Corporate HSE and Politics. “That also applies to all raw materials used in our non-European manufacturing site in Switzerland which, although not directly covered by the regulation, nevertheless exports to the European Union and therefore has to deal with REACH.”
“We performed pre-registrations ourselves whenever necessary or in cases of doubt”, says Peter Walther, Manager Product Safety and REACH coordinator of Siegwerk. “This approach ensures that we can use the respective raw materials without restrictions until the substances have to be registered - according to the transition periods laid down in the regulation (1st December 2010 for substances with more than 1000 t/y, 1st June 2013 for substances between 100 and 1000 t/y and 1st June 2018 for substances between 1 and 100 t/y).” Practically, this means that reliable supply with our products under REACH is guaranteed at least until these deadlines.
“We now have enough time to prepare well for the upcoming registration phase and to evaluate the impact of REACH on our business - without the threat of raw materials being withdrawn in the near future”, adds Peter Walther.