Chemical sector welcomes REACH deadline consultation results
8 Jan 2023
Chemical sector businesses and organisations have overwhelmingly backed extension of transitional registration deadlines for the new post-Brexit UK REACH regime, in response to a Whitehall consultation process.
The so-called Option 1 scheme would delay submission deadlines for the various tonnage bands by another three years to October 2026, October 2028, and October 2030 respectively.
While the responses from the chemicals sector place no legal requirement on Government, they are the result of a nine month discussion process in which sector body the Chemical Business Association (CBA) played a leading part following ministerial promises to explore alternative arrangements.
The CBA had lobbied the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), on the impact of UK REACH on the chemical industry supply chain and highlighted the issue of downstream users previously not within the scope of the regulation.
Commenting on the outcome of the consultation, the association’s CEO Tim Doggett said: “The CBA has been working incessantly with the Government to highlight the impact of UK REACH and its implications. We are delighted it committed to exploring an alternative model and to extend the deadlines, of which this is a first encouraging step.
We remain committed to finding a practical, workable, and affordable solution for everyone, and this extension provides us with an opportunity to pursue suitable options.”
DEFRA has acknowledged that the extra time Option 1 would provide “could lessen burdens on SMEs and downstream users without significantly reducing levels of protection of human health and of the environment”.
It is expected that legislation will now be presented to extend the registration deadlines of each tonnage band by three years.
