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Regulation 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is a regulation that applies to the majority of chemical substances with the aim of improving the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. Duties are held by manufacturers, importers, distributers and downstream users.
Organisations which place chemicals on the market in GB and the EU or NI have to comply with both versions of REACH.
Organisations who were previously covered by EU REACH who now need to transition to UK REACH will need to reapply for authorisation. This reapplication process involves the submission of previously submitted data which can be obtained from the ECHA for a fee or organisations can pay to redo the studies and research.
This can lead to significant costs to both organisations and the chemicals industry with an estimated cost of around £2 billion by 2030. Concerns are raised that this cost might lead to organisations not registering, reducing the amount substances available and causing supply chain issues.
Following an in-depth analysis of the current UK REACH requirements, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), alongside the HSE and the Environment Agency (EA) have devised an Alternative Transitional Registration model (ATRm) for UK REACH.
The aim of this model is to help reduce costs to organisations transitioning from EU to UK REACH uphold existing human health and environmental protections by gaining better information on the use and exposure of substances in Great Britain.
These changes are proposed under a consultation which can be found here, with the policy paper found here.
For LUS subscribers you can view this consultation and many more on the links below:
Health and safety consultations
Environment consultations
The emissions trading scheme (ETS) is a carbon emission trading scheme that runs in both the UK (UK ETS) and EU (EU ETS) supporting net zero commitments. It works on a cap-and-trade system with a cap on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Participants in the scheme are required to obtain and surrender allowances to cover their annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Organisations can purchase allowances at auction, or trade them amongst themselves.
UK ETS currently covers emissions from power and heat generation, energy intensive industries and aviation.
The UK ETS Authority (UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland) is seeking views on proposals for expanding the UK ETS to the waste sector. The goal of this expansion is to capture more emissions and increase decarbonisation.
In the Authority Response to the previous ‘Developing the UK ETS’ consultation, the following points were confirmed.
You can view and give your views on the proposed changes to UK ETS here.
For LUS subscribers you can view this consultation and many more on the links below:
Health and safety consultations
Environment consultations