Environment & energy

The REACH Directive (EC 1907/2006) is the new European Community regulation on chemicals and their safe use. It entered into force on 1 June 2007. REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The aim of REACH is to encourage the safe use of chemicals and the protection of human health and the environment. The intrinsic properties and uses of around 30,000 chemical substances are being identified and the information on these substances is registered at a central database run by the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki. The glass industry can be affected by the requirements of the REACH Directive as producer, importer and, more importantly, user of chemical substances. It is a so-called downstream user. Companies in the EU which manufacture or import chemical substances have been required to pre-register them since 1 June 2008. If they do not register a chemical substance which is subject to the mandatory registration requirement by 1 December 2008, they will only be able to manufacture or import it in quantities of up to 1 tonne per year in the future.