Up to 14 Sep. 2021, around 6000 companies across the European Union have successfully complied with their new duty to notify ECHA about products containing substances of very high concern, SVHCs. The SCIP database now displays more than four million article notifications. Consumers or enterprises can now access to the data by article name or brand, product category, type of material or the chemical name.
Background
The SCIP Database is EU’s first public database of substances of very high concern in products. It aims to allow consumers to make more informed purchasing choices and help waste operators to further develop the re-use of articles and the recycling of materials.
Companies supplying articles that contain substances of very high concern, SVHCs, on the REACH Candidate List have to notify these to ECHA. The requirement concerns articles on the EU market that contain more than 0.1 % weight by weight of SVHCs. The obligation came into force on 5 January 2021 and is based on the EU Waste Framework Directive as revised in 2018.
The notifications are stored in the Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database, which ensures that the information is publicly available throughout the whole lifecycle of products and materials, including the waste stage.
SCIP provides all the technical data from companies allowing the safe use and improved re-use and recycling of the article. This includes: information to identify the article, instructions on how to use it safely, the substance of very high concern, its location, and the type of material in which it is contained.
At the moment, the database contains over four million article notifications. This number counts duplicate notifications for the same article that were made by several actors in the EU supply chains, as well as notifications made for more than one article. Therefore, ECHA does not have an estimation for the exact number of different articles in the database.
About SCIP
Based on the information submitted so far, the most commonly notified product categories in the database are:
- machinery and their parts;
- measuring instruments and their parts;
- electronic equipment and their parts;
- vehicles and their parts;
- articles made of rubber; and
- furniture.
The most common substances of very high concern in notifications are:
- lead (e.g. in ball bearings, batteries);
- lead monoxide (e.g. in lamps, vehicle parts);
- lead titanium trioxide (e.g. in electric cookers);
- silicid acid, lead salt (e.g. in lead crystalware, vehicle coatings); and
- 1,6,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,17,18,18-Dodecachloropentacyclo[12.2.1.16,9.02,13.05,10]octadeca-7,15- diene, more commonly referred to as “Dechlorane PlusTM” (e.g. in paints, glues)
ECHA’s Executive Director, Bjorn Hansen says: “Today’s launch improves access to information on hazardous chemicals in articles on the EU market. It will help to track products containing substances of very high concern until they reach the waste stage, supporting the goals of a circular economy. We encourage everyone to get familiar with the database and use it.”
Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, says: “The launch of the database is a true milestone in bringing transparency about chemicals of concern in products. This wealth of information will be of great value to all, especially consumers, waste operators, and policy-makers. It will enhance the delivery of safe and clean products and secondary materials, fully in line with the priorities on re-use and recycling defined in the EU waste legislation. Thanks to all the companies that promptly submitted information, making the database work. This is a key step in implementing deliverables of the European Green Deal, notably our action plans on circular economy and zero pollution, and our Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.”
All companies placing articles containing substances of very high concern on the EU market have to notify them to the database. To help companies with this duty, ECHA has developed several guidance documents and tools.
How can a Foreign Enterprise Comply with SCIP Notification
Non EU article suppliers are not obligated by SCIP Notification and are not allowed to submit SCIP Notification. But Non EU companies need to communicate the SVHC information, so that the EU importers can successfully complete SCIP notification.
Non EU suppliers or other third party can enter into a contract with EU importers and act as foreign users. A foreign user is an external user from company B who has been appointed by the LE manager from company A to work for company A. A foreign user can perform actions on behalf of the company that grants him permission to use an account from their own ECHA account.
Timeline
- Articles containing candidate list substances above 0.1% that has been put on market before 5 Jan. 2021: If these articles are not put in market after 5 Jan. 2021, then SCIP Notification is not required;
- Articles containing candidate list substances above 0.1% that will put on market from 5 Jan. 2021 onwards: SCIP Notification need to be completed when the products are put on market for the first time;
- Articles containing substances listed in SVHC list after 5 Jan. 2021 with a concentration above 0.1% w/w: Suppliers of the articles shall submit SCIP Notification when the substances are listed in SVHC List.
Our Services
- SVHC testing
- Identify the information required for submission to the SCIP database
- Dossier preparation and submission
If you have any needs or questions, please contact us at test@cirs-group.com.
Further Information
Contact Us
Quick Navigation