Following the lead of the European Parliament, the Council of EU Environment Ministers recently approved the amended version of the CLP Regulation. Among other things, this includes new rules for labeling hazardous substances and for online trading. DEKRA recommends that formulators and distributors familiarize themselves with the new requirements in good time to ensure the legal compliance of their own products in the long term.
The main changes concern the design of labels for hazardous substances. New are the precise requirements for a minimum type size (1.2 mm for the letter “x”) and line spacing. Moreover, the label is to be printed in black on a white background in order to improve legibility.
Folded labels are also expressly permitted to provide space for extensive content and several languages. In addition, the obligation to amend the label of a product that is reclassified after it is placed on the market has been worded more precisely and a six-month deadline introduced.
Publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities is expected within the coming weeks. This will also clarify when the transition periodsfor the various requirements will expire. Jochen Dettke, Chemical Safety Product Manager at DEKRA: “Formulators and distributors should familiarize themselves with the new requirements in good time to ensure the legal compliance of their own products in the long term.”
A further change concerns online trading. On the one hand, the full hazard label pursuant to Article 17 must be included for the product in the online store. Previously, this was not necessary in the B2B segment. It has also been clarified that only commercial importers can operate international mail order businesses. Private imports via Chinese trading platforms, for example, will no longer be allowed.
DEKRA also offers webinars on this topic. More information is available at:
