UK Government seeks the right mix for chemicals industry regulation

UK REACH regulators review alternative transition registration model with industry specialists.

The proposed alternative transition registration model (ATRm) is being considered by the UK Government in response to concerns from the chemicals industry about significant costs to businesses of accessing EU data packages to support UK REACH transitional registrations.

UK REACH has been set up as an equivalent of EU REACH, a European body that deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.

Prior to Brexit, data was only available to the UK on the uses and exposure routes of chemicals at the EU level.

The UK Government's review has found that regulators do not need to hold a complete replica of all the registration data on 22,000 chemical substances held under EU REACH in order for UK REACH to undertake its regulatory work.

The ATRm will aim to reduce the costs to businesses while maintaining high levels of protection of human health and the environment, says the government. 

Proposals to consult include:

• refining what information on ‘use and exposure’ in Great Britain registrants will need to provide.
• reducing to the essential minimum the ‘hazard’ information required for transitional registrations and intermediates. 
• significant reduction of the estimated £2 billion costs to industry associated with buying or accessing EU hazard information

The UK REACH regulators are the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Health and Safety Executive and Environment agency.