Right on plan with REACH

In December 2006 the European Parliament and the European Council adopted a new regulation concerning the registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals, known by its acronym REACH (Reg. (EC) 1907/2006). This has since been incorporated into national law within the EU. In compliance with REACH, Cognis has now pre-registered all substances manufactured by the Group with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) located in Helsinki, Finland, ensuring reliability and safety of supply for our customers.

Commencement of REACH implementation
Implementation of the REACH regulation began in 2008 with the pre-registration of those substances already being manufactured or imported. The REACH activities at Cognis are coordinated for all our sites and Group companies by a Düsseldorf-based REACH team, which is assigned to our Product Safety & Regulations department (PSR). Numerous functions such as IT, Purchasing and the Legal department are supporting the process. In addition, each business unit has its own REACH team charged with meeting the specific requirements of its segment or operations.

Pre-registration at Cognis
Cognis has decided to pre-register raw materials and substances from sites outside Europe as well, as a means of further safeguarding production and supply reliability for both ourselves and our customers. Hence, the Cognis list, punctually submitted on December 1, 2008, encompasses substances attributable to six EU and eleven non-EU sites. Following pre-registration, manufacturers now have to provide comprehensive ecological, physical and toxicological data relating to their substances, along with risk assessments prepared for each. Given that we at Cognis have always regarded the safety of our products for people and the environment as a core component in the drive for sustainable development, we are confident that we can provide all the necessary dossiers. Nevertheless, the formalities involved in preparing the dossiers and the timelines have presented us with challenges. Substances manufactured in large tonnages or volumes are to be documented first, by 2010, while the other submission deadlines are 2013 and 2018, depending on volumes involved.