NAFEM advocates for moving deadline for EU SCIP compliance

The European Union’s (EU) new Substances of Concern in Articles in Products (SCIP) database is scheduled to launch in October, with required company compliance by January 2021. To further the EU’s circular economy, manufacturers are required to declare within the database any final products and components that contain more than 0.1 percent (by weight) of any of more than 200 substances of very high concern (SVHC).

“In recent weeks, a growing number of European industry voices have pushed for a delay in the SCIP deadline given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ryan Ong, director of international business policy with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). “They also have raised ongoing technical concerns with the timing and features of the database.”

NAFEM has joined NAM and other associations whose members manufacture and import millions of manufactured products in the EU in requesting at least a 12-month extension of the compliance requirements.

The SCIP database builds on the EU’s earlier REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) which required companies that manufacture or import one tonne or more per year of chemical substances into the EU to register these substances. “This phase two of the EU REACH program is not easy to implement as it involves each company’s entire supply chain,” said Irina Rashfal, senior consultant, global regulatory compliance, engineering and quality, Intertek, and a member of NAFEM’s Technical Liaison Committee (TLC).

For additional information, consult  the SCIP database presented by the European Chemicals Agency. NAFEM continues to monitor the EU’s decision about implementation of the SCIP database