About REACH

REACH is the Regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on 1st June 2007 to streamline and improve the former legislative framework on chemicals of the European Union (EU).
REACH places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risks that chemicals may pose to the health and the environment. In principle REACH applies to all chemicals: not only chemicals used in industrial processes but also in our day-to-day life, for example in cleaning products, paints as well as in articles such as clothes, furniture and electrical appliances.

The aims of REACH are to:

• Improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals.
• Enhance the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry, a key sector for the economy of the EU.
• Promote alternative methods for the assessment of hazards of substances.
• Ensure the free circulation of substances on the internal market of the European Union.

REACH makes industry bear most responsibilities to manage the risks posed by chemicals and provide appropriate safety information to their users. In parallel, it foresees that the European Union can take additional measures on highly dangerous substances, where there is a need for complementing action at EU level. REACH also created in Finland the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) with a central coordination and implementation role in the overall process.
All manufacturers and importers of chemicals must identify and manage risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market. For substances produced or imported in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year per company, manufacturers and importers need to demonstrate that they have appropriately done so by means of a Registration Dossier, which shall be submitted to the Agency.

Once the Registration Dossier has been received, the Agency may check that it is compliant with the Regulation and shall evaluate testing proposals to ensure that the assessment of the chemical substances will not result in unnecessary testing, especially on animals.
Where appropriate, authorities may also select substances for a broader substance evaluation to further investigate substances of concern. REACH also foresees an Authorization system aiming to ensure that substances of very high concern are adequately controlled, and progressively substituted by safer substances or technologies or only used where there is an overall benefit for society of using the substance. These substances will be prioritized and over time included in Annex XIV. Once they are included, industry will have to submit applications to the Agency on Authorization for continued use of these substances. In addition, EU authorities may impose restrictions on the manufacture, use or placing on the market of substances causing an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Manufacturers and importers must provide their downstream users with the risk information they need to use the substance safely. This will be done via the classification and labelling system and Safety Data Sheets (SDS), where needed.

On June 2008 Società Chimica Larderello has pre-registered all the substances imported and manufactured by its own according REACH obbligations.
Società Chimica Larderello is a founder Member of EBA (European Borates Association) which is part of IMA.
During the last 6 years EBA carried on the Risk Assessment on Boric Acid and Sodium Borates , now almost at the end.
On April 2009 , together with the other European Producers and EBA Members , Società Chimica Larderello created a Consortium of Boric Acid and Borates under REACH.
Using the Risk Assessment data previously prepared , the Borate Consortium is completing the Registration Dossier. This process will be completed by the end of November 2010.

List of substances covered by the Borates Consortium:

List of substances that Società Chimica Larderello will Register under REACH: