Skamol and REACH

REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 190/2006).

It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007.

The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through better and earlier identification of the hazardous properties of chemical substances. Manufacturers and importers are required to gather information on the properties of their chemical substances, which will allow their safe handling, and to register the information in a central database run by the European Chemicals Agency.

The Regulation also calls for gradual substitution of the most dangerous chemicals when suitable alternatives have been identified.

Skamol has all the roles defined in the Regulation:

• Skamol is ‘downstream user’ of a number of European raw materials, where the supplier has the obligation to register.
• Skamol is producer or importer of a number of raw materials and has the obligation to register. However, these specific raw materials are exempt from registration as they are either plant materials or naturally occurring minerals which have not been chemically altered.
• Skamol produces both ‘Articles’ and ‘Chemical substances’ which are exempt from registration.
• Skamol produces a synthetic mineral, Xonolite, which is not exempt from registration. This material has been pre-registered before November 30, 2008.