European Commission Proposes Revised Labeling, Packaging Rules for Certain Chemicals
The European Commission this week proposed a revised regulation that it said would clarify labeling and packaging rules for certain chemicals sold or bought online by manufacturers, importers or other “downstream users.” The new rule, which would target shipments of “endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemical substances," would require buyers and sellers to follow certain labeling rules after determining “whether a substance or mixture displays properties that should lead to their hazard classification,” the commission said.
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“Manufacturers, importers or downstream users are required to assess whether the substances and mixtures they place on the market have harmful properties, based on the [Classification, Labeling and Packaging Regulation] criteria,” the commission said. After a company classifies the substance, it is required to “communicate the identified hazards to other actors in the supply chain” through labeling, the commission said.
The revised regulation could lead to a "harmonized classification which is legally binding for all actors placing that substance on the market, a tool which is used in particular for the most harmful substances, such as carcinogens.” The regulation “sets detailed rules on how to label hazardous chemicals” and general “packaging standards.”
The regulation will next be considered by the European Parliament. The commission said it expects the revised rules to take effect “early next year.”