22 October 2024 - News release ECHA’s Integrated Regulatory Strategy achieves its goal – high production volume chemicals screened

ECHA/NR/24/27

Helsinki, 23 October 2024 - The Integrated Regulatory Strategy (IRS) has increased our knowledge on chemicals and sped up identification of substances for which regulatory risk management actions are required. Refocussed IRS 2024-2028 will continue moving substances to risk management.

ECHA's sixth and final report of its Integrated Regulatory Strategy 2019-2023 shows that it achieved its goal of screening high production volume chemicals, manufactured or imported above 100 tonnes per year, that were on the European markets in 2018.

Since 2019, ECHA has grouped and screened 6 000 substances, and addressed almost all of the 4 100 high production volume chemicals. Around 1 900 of substances screened in ECHA's assessments of regulatory needs may potentially require regulatory risk management, mostly harmonised classification and labelling (CLH) or restriction under REACH. For more than two thirds of those, further data is needed first to confirm the relevant hazards. Around 60 % of all substances screened did not require further action.

Several substance groups, identified as requiring regulatory risk management, have been included in the EU's Restrictions Roadmap, for example bisphenols, ortho-phthalates, flame retardants, hydrocarbyl siloxanes and hydrocarbylphenols.

Ofelia Bercaru, ECHA's Director of Prioritisation and Integration, said:

"The strategy has significantly contributed to the EU ambition towards reaching the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals concerning chemicals. Over the next four years, we will continue the coordinated approach towards prioritising substances for risk management, whilst maintaining our good knowledge on ECHA's chemical database, enhancing transparency with authorities and stakeholders, and exploring synergies with ECHA's new tasks.

"This will allow us to continue to protect health and the environment through our work for chemical safety."

Next steps

The reviewed IRS for 2024-2028 will continue to improve the protection of human health and the environment from risks posed by hazardous chemicals. ECHA, the European Commission and Member States' authorities will focus on agreeing more swiftly the necessary risk management measures for the identified substances of concern.

The future prioritisation of authorities' activities will focus, for example, on the one substance one assessment principle. ECHA will integrate its new tasks to this approach in coming years.

Background

ECHA's Integrated Regulatory Strategy aimed to speed up data generation, identification of groups of substances of concern, and regulatory action. It did so by integrating different regulatory processes into one approach to manage chemical risks effectively and efficiently. The strategy also encouraged collaboration between ECHA, Member States authorities and the European Commission.
The original goal of the IRS was achieved: to clarify which REACH registered substances are a high priority for regulatory risk management or data generation, and which are currently a low priority for further regulatory action.

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