Manufacturers’ organisation EEF has launched a campaign to highlight business risks under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals Regulation and provide support to the manufacturing supply chain.
Under the regulation, called REACH, substances used in either products or as part of processes may be banned and, unless manufacturers have authorisation from the EU to use it, will disappear from the EU market.
The campaign aims to simplify the implications of REACH and provide targeted advice to manufacturers looking to manage it.
It follows a 2012 survey by EEF, which showed 20% of companies still believe REACH is not applicable to them with an additional 30% believing it is not important to their business.
Greg Roberts, EEF Environmental Consultant, said the implications of REACH remain overlooked by manufacturers.
“Many manufacturers do not fully appreciate the business risk presented by REACH. Many declare compliance to customers but do not have robust processes in place to provide adequate assurance,” he said.
Mr Roberts added: “By working with EEF, manufacturers can understand the real impact of REACH, how to get on top of it and importantly get ahead of their competitors.”
The concept for the campaign is the websites ‘Where’s My Car’ and ‘Where’s My Plane’, where manufacturers can hover over part of a model car or plane to reveal which components they will no longer be able to make as a result of REACH.
Through a series of industry training courses and expert consultancy, EEF will help manufacturers keep on top of developments, understand the risks and put in place the systems to stay ahead of competitors and safeguard product lines.
To find out if you are affected by REACH and what you need to do to make sure you can continue to do business visit www.eef.org.uk/wheresmycar/
