On December 19, 2022, the European Commission Directorate-General for Environment (DG-Environment) published a proposal to revise Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labeling, and packaging of chemicals and mixtures (CLP). The revision aims to address three concerns: properly identifying and classifying hazardous chemicals, improving the communication of chemical hazards, and addressing non-compliance. To that end, the revised CLP proposes to
- “add definitions and scientific and technical criteria to enable substances and mixtures that have endocrine disrupting (ED), persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT), or very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) properties to be classified into established hazard classes.”
- “introduce provisions to facilitate the use of fold-out labels as well as provisions for minimum formatting rules to make labels more readable for consumers,” and
- “introduce a requirement that suppliers have to ensure that substances or mixtures, including those sold online via distance sales, meet the requirements of CLP… [and that] chemicals’ labelling information should be made available [to consumers] before placing on the market, regardless of the means of sale.”
The introduction of hazard classes is part of a delegated act that must go through a two-month review by the EC and European Parliament. It could come into force early 2023 with a two-, three-, or four-year transition period dependent upon if the substance is new, a mixture, or already on the market, respectively. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals will receive subcategories as suspected, presumed, or known endocrine disruptors based on available scientific information.
Other proposed changes to the CLP must go through more steps, and therefore more negotiations.
The CLP revision was originally announced as part of the adoption of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability in October 2020 (FPF reported) and the addition of hazard classes to the CLP was announced in December 2020 (FPF reported).
Feedback on the CLP can be submitted to the EC until March 8, 2023.
Reference
Directorate-General for Environment (December 19, 2022). “Proposal for a revision of the Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals (CLP).” European Commission
Read more
European Commission (December 20, 2022). “Revision of EU legislation on hazard classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals.”
Eline Schaart (December 20, 2022). “European Commission unveils final CLP revision proposals.” Chemical Watch
Cefic (December 19, 2022). “Cefic statement on the publication of the delegated act on CLP.”
EDC-Free Europe (December 19, 2022). “EDC-Free Europe welcomes introduction of hazard classes for endocrine disrupting chemicals as part of revision of the CLP regulation.”
