Final days to join nickel REACH consortia
Three consortia for nickel metal and compounds are open for signature until 31 August under the auspices of the European Nickel Industry Association (ENIA) and the Nickel Institute.
Participation is welcomed by all producers and importers who will be accorded “regular” status and downstream users who will be regarded as “associate” members. Trade associations are invited to join as observers. The specific substances covered by each consortium are described below:
- Consortium 1: nickel metal, nickel chloride, nickel nitrate and nickel sulphate;
- Consortium 2: nickel oxide, nickel dihydroxide, nickel hydroxycarbonate, nickel oxyhydroxide, nickel acetate and nickel sulphamate;
- Consortium 3: complex materials eg. nickel matte as an intermediate and ferronickel as a “special preparation”.
The consortia build on the two bodies’ extensive experience in handling risk assessment of nickel under the EU’s existing substances regulation. These data will now form the core of the registration dossiers put forward under the REACH Regulation.
Most nickel substances qualify as either high tonnage or substances of very high concern under the REACH Regulation and therefore will be subject to the first registration deadline by 1 December 2010, the organisations point out. This will leave only 18 months from pre-registration for the formation of substance information exchange fora (SIEFs) for each substance, data gap analysis and collation, agreement of classification and labelling and final preparation of registration dossiers. They say joining the consortia will mean companies can be confident of meeting the deadlines.
Preparing for registration jointly through the consortia will mean that more of the technical assessment can be kept within the group rather than contracting it out, which will keep costs down. It will also improve the quality of assessments through joint interpretation of the Regulation’s requirements and data. Companies will also be protected by legally binding contracts to govern data sharing, confidentiality and cost allocation.
The associations have drawn up detailed “funding principles” for each consortium covering generic administrative costs as well as specific costs such as those for local and regional exposure assessments.
Under the rules of REACH, each company intending to register a substance will need to pre-register and register individually, however the consortia will assist members through this process as well as compiling the requisite risk assessment data in a joint registration dossier.
The Nickel Institute and ENIA along with other metal industry bodies lobbied hard to limit the application of REACH to the sector, succeeding in winning registration exemptions for waste and chemically unmodified ores and concentrates. But nickel concentrates remain liable to have to be authorised for specific uses under REACH.
Under the continuation of their “nickel REACH implementation plan” which was launched formally last January, the bodies say they now intend to focus on a review of exemptions due to be undertaken by the European Commission by June 2008 and on the negotiations to finalise a regulatory proposal from the Commission to implement the UN Globally Harmonised System on the classification and labelling of chemicals.
Other aspects of the plan include contributing to the writing of technical guidance through the REACH implementation projects, particularly that concerning authorisation. Outreach efforts are also being pursued through advertising and training, including bespoke company training.
Further information
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