REACH - a major challenge for Essential Oils

Under EU Regulation No. 1907/2006, chemical substances above 1 ton p.a. have to be registered at ECHA (European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki) by 2010, 2013 or 2018, these deadlines depending on the individual product volume of each EU manufacturer or importer concerned. This is an issue of vital importance also for EFEO members. Most Essential Oils (NCS, Natural Complex Substances) of commercial relevance - although derived from nature - need to be individually registered if delivered for use in the EU cosmetic or detergent industries. EU manufacturers and import traders of Essential Oils as well as their non-European suppliers, are well aware that there will be no further business without registration, and that customers will not be able to buy from EU suppliers which have not registered. Particularly companies involved in production and trade in high-volume Essential Oils are currently preparing for registration by 1st December 2010, well knowing that the slogan issued by ECHA, "the clock is ticking", is perfectly true, and that plenty of data will have to be gained, collected and evaluated for use in the registration files.

How E.F.E.O. support their members

Already at an early stage, E.F.E.O had started to inform their membership about all new requirements under REACH. Juridical advice and technical instruction on how to deal with REACH in practice is regularly being communicated by circular letters, fact sheets, customer/supplier information and lectures on this topic. E.F.E.O. has accompanied their members through the pre-registration period from June to December 2008, in order to facilitate further trade and production. Supported by an external expert, E.F.E.O. has prepared a variety of useful documents on the implementation of REACH, including road maps for NCS and the "NCS Protocol" dealing with specific approaches how to register Essential Oils.

E.F.E.O. REACH Registration Consortia for NCS

Under the auspices of E.F.E.O. and supported by external experts, consultants and service providers, consortia for 4 groups of Essential Oils have already been established:

· Citrus oils

· Mint oils

· Vetiver oil,

· Safrole-containing oils.

REACH news and information

It is recommended to regularly visit the ECHA homepage under http://echa.europa.eu/home_en.asp. For E.F.E.O. members, REACH information (circular letters, documents) is provided in the Member section. Some lectures on REACH are temporarily available to the public in the News section of this homepage.