What is the functionality of REACH compliance?

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authoring and Restriction of Chemicals) compliance is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC1907/2006).The main goal of this regulation is to improve the protection of human health and the environment while identifying the properties of chemical substances in an appropriate manner.

Manufacturers and importers will be required to gather information on the properties of their chemical substances, which will allow their safe handling. The chemical substance must be registered with the central database run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki in order to be legally used on the market. The Agency will act as the central point in the REACH system. It will manage the databases necessary to operate the system, co-ordinate the in-depth evaluation of suspicious chemicals, and run a public database in which consumers and professionals can find hazard information.

The Regulation also calls for the progressive substitution of the most dangerous chemicals when suitable alternatives have been identified. One of the main reasons for developing and adopting the REACH Regulation was that a large number of substances have been manufactured and placed on the market in Europe for many years, sometimes in very high amounts, and yet there is insufficient information on the hazards that they pose to human health and the environment.

It has been known and accepted since the drafting of REACH that the need to fill the data gaps would result in an increased use of laboratory animals for the next 10 years. At the same time, in order to minimize the number of animal tests, the REACH compliance Regulation provides a number of possibilities to adapt the testing requirements and use existing data and alternative assessment approaches instead.

How is the EU SDS “Sustainable Development Strategy” implementing the “Kyoto Protocol” towards “Climate Change”?

The implementation of the EU SDS “Sustainable Development Strategy” enforces its regulation towards “Climate Change” with one very important tool which is the “Kyoto Protocol”. “Kyoto Protocol” entered into force on the 16th of February, 2005 in Rome, with an aim to combat Global Warming. The entry into force of the protocol and its provisions today will not only oblige industrialized countries to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases, but also enhance EU SDS in developing countries.

The “Kyoto Protocol” provides mechanisms that will encourage investment in climate-friendly projects, which will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time promote the EU SDS in developing countries. However, in order for the EU SDS to take its effect, several different policies have been developed. Developed countries will pay for carbon emission offsets, which will help finance adaptation activities to assist highly-vulnerable developing countries to cope with the challenges of climate change. The FAO “Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations” will support vulnerable countries in identifying and formulating projects that will enable them to receive such investments.

Measures include the use of bioenergy, reforestation, and the adoption of improved agricultural practices that help reduce emissions from agriculture while increasing production. With more investment in increasing bioenergy generation and use, carbon emissions could be reduced by 5 to 25 percent of the projected fossil fuel emissions for the year 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Under the Kyoto Protocol, FAO aims to identify, develop and promote these practices so that developing countries may gain additional income from selling carbon credits, while improving the livelihoods of farmers through enhanced soil fertility and higher crop production.