The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) Database is now live

• Global

• Environment
• Industrials - Chemicals

24-09-2021

The SCIP database went live on 14 September 2021. The SCIP database lists products containing substances of very high concern (SVHCs) at a concentration above 0.1% weight by weight that are sold/supplied in the EEA to professionals/distributors.

The information within the database includes:

• information to identify the article;
• instructions on how to use it safely;
• the SVHC;
• the location of the SVHC; and
• the type of material in which the SVHC is contained.

The database includes more than four million notifications from around 6,000 companies across the EU. This number includes duplicate notifications for the same article that were made by different actors in the same supply chain as well as notifications made for more than one article. ECHA has stated that it does not have an estimate of the exact number of different articles covered by the database.

The aim of the database is to allow consumers to make more informed purchasing choices and to help waste operators increase the reuse and recycling of materials. However, given the complexity of the database itself and the volume of items covered it remains to be seen whether these aims will be realised. The previous REACH obligation for suppliers of articles containing an SVHC in a concentration above 0.1% (w/w) to provide the recipient with sufficient information to enable safe use of that article (including as a minimum the name of that SVHC) remains in force, the SCIP database is an additional obligation.

ECHA reports that the most commonly notified product categories are machinery, measuring instruments, electronic equipment, vehicles, and each of their respective parts and rubber articles and furniture. The most commonly notified SVHCs are lead and lead compounds and 1,6,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,17,18,18-Dodecachloropentacyclo[12.2.1.16,9.02,13.05,10]octadeca-7,15- diene, more commonly referred to as “Dechlorane PlusTM”.

Under the Waste Framework Directive the obligation to notify ECHA came into force on 5 January 2021. Any companies supplying relevant products in the EU that have not already notified or considered their obligations in accordance with relevant national legislation that implements the Waste Framework Directive should take urgent action.