Clariant has announced that it is now focusing on Phase Two of REACH legislation, following its successful completion of the registration of 152 substances required under Phase One by the December 1, 2010, deadline. Phase Two, which concerns more than 300 chemicals, should be completed by June 1, 2013.

For Phase One, the company held a unique position in leading 81 out of 152 (> 50%) consortia and Substance Information Exchange Forums (SIEFs). The Phase One substances covered finished products, intermediates and raw materials of eight business units.

Due to its extensive knowledge and expertise of toxicological, ecotoxicological and physical/chemical properties, Clariant took over the lead function for the majority of the respective consortia. Its REACH registration teams comprise Product Stewardship specialists, toxicologists, ecotoxicologists, lawyers and IT specialists.

“We are delighted to have completed the task assigned to us,” said Hariolf Kottmann, CEO. “Our achievement in completing Phase One registration inside the deadline required a lot of long, hard work, and an intensive use of resources. Customers have expressed their appreciation for our dedication in supporting their efforts to be REACH compliant when using our materials in their products and formulations.”

Complying with REACH is a prerequisite for a company’s ability to operate in Europe. Any substances not registered by the deadlines set for each Phase will not be allowed to be produced, imported or sold, as stated in Article 5 of the REACH Regulation.

Phase Two is concerned with the registration of substances supplied at ≥ 100 t/a by June 1, 2013. Clariant has another several hundred chemicals that fall under this category.

“We gained considerable experience during Phase One of REACH,” said Ulrich Kussmaul, head of Product Stewardship. “However, Clariant will have to meet the challenge to get a higher amount of substances registered in Phase Two. Our Product Stewardship organization teams are ready to go ahead and to meet this challenge both as lead registrant as well as a reliable partner within consortia to complete the task in hand within the deadline.”

For additional details, visit www.clariant.com.