Federplast Touts REACH Expertise

Federplast.be, the Belgian Association of Manufacturers of Plastic and Rubber Articles, is stressing the importance of the correct implementation of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances), the new European chemicals legislation.

“The members of Federplast.be are counseled by experts of Agoria and essenscia and by the European umbrella organizations of the plastics and rubber industry,” the Belgian association states in a news release. Agoria is an industry federation for the technology industry in Belgium, while essenscia is a similar group for the chemical industry.

“The European chemicals legislation REACH imposes new obligations onto manufacturers, importers, traders and retailers of plastic and rubber articles and of products containing these materials,” Federplast continues. “The consequences of non-compliance with the new legislation can be extremely serious, ranging from very high financial fines to jail sentences. Not to mention the consequences for the brand image of the product and of the manufacturer or retailer when it is unveiled that requirements to protect consumer health and environment have not been complied with. Recent scandals about melamine in milk products and heavy metals in toys originating from China have proven that such risks are not imaginary.”

Federplast says membership in its organization can serve as an important line of defense. “The REACH legislation is a very complex one, imposes new obligations at every link in the chain from the raw materials and the manufacturing of products up to the final retailer,” Federplast states. “At every link problems can arise when somewhere upwards in the chain requirements have not been fully met. Companies that import plastic and rubber articles from outside the European Union even have additional responsibilities.”

Membership in Federplast can serve as a sign of confidence for buyers and sellers of material, says the group. “It is important to manufacturers, traders and retailers to limit their risks by giving their confidence to trustworthy suppliers, e.g. manufacturers of rubber and plastic articles, which are counseled and up-to-date informed about the existing and new obligations under the evolving REACH legislation.”