Impact of REACH Regulation on the Global Finishing Market
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By Lionel Thiery, Coventya Holding SAS, and Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski, Coventya, Inc.
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Editor's Note: This paper is a peer-reviewed and edited version of a presentation delivered at NASF SUR/FIN 2012 in Las Vegas, Nev., on June 12, 2012.
ABSTRACT
REACH regulation 1907/2006 entered into force on June 1, 2007. It was adopted to enhance protection of human health and the environment from risks posed by certain chemicals, while at the same time increasing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. To this date, producers and/ or importers of substances register the most hazardous substances and will continue to do so until 2018. Downstream users like platers will now face this requirement and all segments of the general metal finishing market will be governed by these regulations. Alternative treatments compliant with REACH regulation must also be foreseen. Chemicals used in the future must not be present in the list of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) and possibly non-CMR. For this reason, chemical suppliers must ensure that research and development focuses on bringing alternative sustainable technologies to the market. This paper will show how globally operating chemical suppliers react to constraints and opportunities evolving out of the new legislations by adapting R&D and business strategies.
Keywords: REACH impact, Cr(III) passivates, cobalt salts, cadmium substitutes, zinc-manganese deposits, gold-copper-indium alloy deposits
Introduction
The REACH regulation1 was entered into force on June 1, 2007. It was adopted to enhance the protection of human health and the environment from risks posed by certain chemicals, while at the same time increasing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.
To this date, producers and/or importers of substances register the most hazardous substances and will continue to do so until 2018. Downstream users such as formulators and platers face this requirement and all segments of the general metal finishing market will be governed by these regulations. Alternative treatments which are compliant with REACH regulation must also be foreseen.
Chemicals used in the future must not be present in the list of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) and possibly non-CMR. For this reason, chemical suppliers must ensure that research and development focuses on bringing alternative sustainable technologies to the market. This paper will show how globally operating chemical suppliers react to constraints and opportunities evolving out of the new legislations by adapting R&D and business strategies.
REACH impact on the supply chain2
As shown in Fig. 1, the REACH regulation has an impact on the global supply chain, as manufacturers and importers of substances as well as formulators and downstream users like job platers are impacted at different levels.