Feature article: Facing up to the four horsemen
Steve Elliott, chief executive of the Chemical Industries Association, looks at the key immediate challenges facing the industry in the UK
UK REACH deadline to be extended
The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that it has committed to “exploring alternative arrangements for UK REACH transitional registrations … in order to support chemical businesses whilst upholding the highest standards to safeguard public health and the environment”.
CBA: Driver situation worsening
The UK’s Chemical Business Association (CBA) has written to various government ministers, warning that “the supply chain situation in the UK is deteriorating” because of the continuing and deepening shortage of HGV drivers.
Feature article - Key considerations when entering into contracts post-Brexit
Miles Robinson, partner, and Daniel Cook, senior associate, at international law firm Mayer Brown, discuss the key considerations in the chemicals industry when drafting contracts post-Brexit
Feature article - A role model for change
Harry Swan, CEO of Thomas Swan, describes the company’s approach to navigating the new post-Brexit rules and offers advice to other firms
Thomas Swan is an independent, family-run chemicals manufacturer that is based in County Durham, UK. I am the great-grandson of the founder and became CEO in 2006. The company dates back to 1926, so you might expect it to be experienced in handling change. Adapting to the UK’s new free trade deal with the EU is another challenge we have met head-on and we are confident of competing successfully in a global market.
Industry leaders warn on costs of UK REACH
In a letter to government ministers that has been seen by the Financial Times, 25 industry leaders have called for “a more proportionate, effective and efficient” post-Brexit chemical regulatory regime in the UK. The writers are understood to be from multiple trade associations, including the Chemical Industries Association (CIA), though this has not been confirmed.
2,900 UK REACH registrations revoked
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has revealed that about 2,900 registrations of 268 chemicals by UK-based manufacturers, importers and only representatives under REACH have now been revoked and become void, because a transfer from a UK- to a EU-based registrant was not started by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
This equates to about 3% of all registrations and about 1% of all registered substances. Of these, about 60% were registered only for intermediate use, meaning that the market impact of their registration being revoked will be limited.
