In a recent article in Environmental Leader, entitled “Belgium Found Guilty of REACH Breach: What Does It Mean?” author Kathleen Hurley, who is an environmental regulations advisor and director of a company that produces environmental management software, comes to this basic conclusion: the European Union Courts (EU) mean business when it comes to enforcing REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals). The importance of this, asserts Ms. Hurley,is that too many chemical industry companies have remained on the sidelines with a wait and see attitude toward the enforcement of the new rules. The recent decision by the European Court of Justice for noncompliance with REACH, making Belgium the first EU member state to be condemned , is expected to change that posture.
While the article documents the varying levels of REACH enforcement across the EU, it does include suggestions for laying the groundwork now for corporate compliance with REACH. More companies are expected to begin building this infrastructure on the heels of the court’s ruling in the case against Belgium. To that point, as you likely know, REACH is complemented by the CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging). That’s where we come in. If you’re with a chemical industry company doing business in Europe and are starting to build your REACH infrastructure, our experience with chemical companies worldwide and expertise in compliant chemical labeling solutions can provide a valuable jump-start for your initiative.
You can see Ms. Hurley’s article in its entirety here. More about CLP is available at this link.
GHS and Regulatory Labeling Challenges in the New Era 
