The labelling of substances is one of chemicals legislation's most visual obligations. But this is only one element of the EU’s classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) Regulation. Before a chemical can be properly labelled, it needs to be classified. There are many ways to do this. Deciding on which is the best way depends on the specific situation and requires experience.
The CLP Regulation also requires companies to perform certain notifications for chemicals they place on the market. This involves two schemes:
- the classification and labelling inventory (CLI) for substances; and
- poison centre notifications (PCNs) for mixtures, which entered into force on 1 January.
Both schemes are extensive and require significant company resources.
The legal framework for classification and labelling is highly technical and complex. Consequently you need to assess as quickly as possible what does and doesn't matter for your company. In this way you can concentrate your resources on the relevant issues.