Due to a growing sensitivity on health and environmentally oriented attitude consumers called on the industry to provide solvent-free and low-emission products. So, building materials advertised in a sometimes misleading manner were brought on the market in the 1990s. Therefore, some adhesives manufacturers founded a self-controlled system in 1997 expelling unacceptable emissions and smells from their products and created the label EMICODE as a standard for the challenging emission criteria. Today, EMICODE is a success story for both industry and consumers, and an excellent example of how an industry can proactively meet and solve a problem without waiting for political or bureaucratic regulations.

This presentation will explore the ever-growing demand for reliable information about products and materials intended for indoor usage. Consumers require building materials and equipment that do not pollute the indoor air with volatile organic compounds (VOC) and odours. This is especially true for products used for the installation of flooring such as adhesives, primers, leveling compounds and underlays, as well as other construction adhesives and sealants. The uniform
adoption of the EMICODE by GEV members provides consumers with an assured standard and builds consumer confidence in installation products for indoor use. Today, EMICODE is a highly respected standard for competent and responsible protection of the consumer and the environment – increasingly all over Europe.

The presentation « Restricted Substance Lists – Examples of Industry Co-operation » gives an overview on

• different kind of  lists
• why and how these lists may occur
• the ongoing projects relating to industry lists involving Cefic
• how Cefic members are advised to face restricted substances lists

In March 2006 ISOPA (the European Diisocyanate and Polyol Producers Association) launched an industry –wide programme called Walk the Talk, aimed at promoting safer use of the chemicals used in making polyurethanes.

In the mean time the implementation rate at the downstream users has reached more than 9o%. In many member companies it is today part of their Product Stewardship Policy.
Safe use of products has something to do with behaviour. And improvement of behaviour is a permanent process.
So: Walk the Talk must go on!

Most food packages and food contact materials (FCMs) are manufactured using adhesives. The EU regulates FCMs, as their constituents may contaminate food and endanger consumer’s health. In contrary to plastics which are regulated by positive lists of authorised ingredients, adhesives have not yet a specific regulation. The project wants to elaborate a scientific global risk assessment approach to meet current general EU regulatory requirements and as a basis for future specific EU legislation and to provide SME industry a tool to ensure safety of their adhesives in food packaging applications. A survey about the proceedings of the project is presented.

The concept behind this project (FACET = Flavours, Additive and Contact materials Exposure Task) is the creation of a food chemical exposure surveillance system, which covers representative regions of the EU and meets the need of the EU regulatory authorities in the protection of consumer health. One part of the project is to evaluate the influence of packaging (metal, paper & board and plastics) on exposure to consumers. To have a complete picture, adhesives, which are a small but important part of many food contact articles, especially packaging, must be evaluated. FEICA, the European adhesives producers’ trade association, will support the project.

Most FEICA members are categorised as downstream users (DU) in REACH but the need for some to register substances as importers cannot be ignored. It is therefore vital for FEICA members to understand the supply chains they operate in; as DUs to ensure continuity of supply and as importers to understand exactly what it is they need to pre-register to maintain access to the EU market.
This session will address the two tracks of supply chain communication, the information needs for pre-registration and briefly explain the pre-registration process.

The Globally Harmonised System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals – GHS covers the physical, health and environmental hazards classification and labelling of substances and mixtures and includes guidance on the preparation of safety data sheets.

It is a living instrument managed by a UN committee consisting of member states delegates, intergovernmental organisations, specialised agencies and industry representatives.

The European Commission Proposal for a Regulation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals (CLP Regulation) implements the GHS as close as possible to the existing legislation and in correlation with REACH.

We will review the impact of the CLP Regulation, the application guidance (RIP 3.6) and the UN activities related to mixtures.

The presentation deals with current as well as future air quality issues and challenges. It also highlights the underlying legislative framework including an outlook on the path forward.