Chemicals | Monthly bulletin | February 2025

Eurofins newsflash Chemical

Europe

REACH-EN-FORCE (REF) projects 2025

Starting in January 2025, EU inspectors will initiate several of the ECHA’s Enforcement Forum projects. The main projects are:

Notifications for hazardous mixtures.

Checking if suppliers have notified hazardous chemical mixtures to the poison centres. The project continues for six months, and the inspections include verifying labels of the mixtures and, where needed, Safety Data Sheets. The project report will be published at the end of 2025.

New Online Sales Project (REF-13).

The main items to be checked are:

If online products contain substances restricted for use under the REACH, POPs regulations and RoHS Directive.
Verifying that mixtures are classified, labelled, and packaged in line with the CLP Regulation and that this information is available online.
Inspectors will also check the requirements of the Digital Services Act, Market Surveillance Regulation, or the General Product Safety Regulation. They will target all types of online markets and traders during the inspections.

Interesting resources on the REACH Regulation on the ECHA’s website

Recent publications regarding CLP Regulation

The following table provides a non-exhaustive summary of some recent updates regarding CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008:

Summary of the most recent updates

Date

Subject

Link

21/01/2025

The ECHA has published a new infographic related to the management of Unique Formula Identifiers (UFIs).

The aim is to help make sure that the UFI included in the poison centre notification is correct and follows the ‘one UFI – one composition’ rule.

For more information consult the Poison centres’ website here.

Interesting resources on the CLP Regulation on the ECHA’s website

New European initiatives related to RoHS exemptions

On the 13^th of January 2025, the European Commission opened a feedback period to recompile information to prepare several draft acts related to the RoHS Directive which indicates that certain hazardous substances are restricted in electrical and electronic equipment. The European initiatives are:

The deadline for sending information is the 10^th of February 2025.

Turkey

Update in import inspection about Chemicals

On the 31^st of December 2024, the Turkish Ministry of Trade published several communications which affect the import of several groups of products. One of them is chemical substances.

Communiqué on Import Control of Chemicals Controlled for Environmental Protection (Product Safety and Control: 2025/6)

With the Communiqué, the import of some ozone depleting substances, fluorinated greenhouse gases and other chemicals whose supply to the market is prohibited or restricted by the relevant legislation of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change is prohibited or controlled in terms of environmental protection. The inspection of these chemicals, whose import is restricted or controlled, is carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change and if deemed appropriate, their import is permitted by the customs administration.

CPSC publishes eFiling Final Rule

On January 8^th, 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published the Final Rule for eFiling in the Federal Register, to revise the requirements for certificates of compliance (CoC) in 16 CFR 1110. The Final Rule will come into effect on July 8^th, 2026, for all CPSC-regulated consumer products and substances subject to the Final Rule. However, there are some exceptions. For products and substances imported into a foreign trade zone (FTZ) and subsequently used for consumption or warehousing, the Final Rule will apply from January 8^th, 2027.

The Final Rule applies to imported consumer products subject to a mandatory safety standard, including de minimis shipments, and requires the electronic filing of CoC data.

The CPSC offers importers two methods for entering certificate data into the eFiling system:

The Reference Message Set via the Product Registry: Importers enter certificate data into the CPSC Product Registry first, then submit a unique ID through the ACE system. The Product Registry allows importers to manage and view their certificates and grant access to third parties like brokers or testing labs.
The Full Message Set: Importers submit all certificate data directly through the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ACE system.

The required CoC data elements to be electronically submitted are:

identification of the finished product;
party certifying compliance;
each consumer product safety rule to which the finished product has been certified;
date and place the finished product was manufactured;
when and where the finished product was most recently tested for compliance; and
contact information for the person maintaining test records.

The Final Rule will also require private labellers to certify domestic products (unless the manufacturer certifies the product).

The CPSC is inviting up to 2,000 additional importers to sign up for the eFiling voluntary stage to test out the systems before eFiling becomes mandatory. Trial requests can be made at eFilingsupport@cpsc.gov.

Source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-08/pdf/2024-30826.pdf

EPA issues Final Rule to regulate Trichloroethylene

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the EPA must address any unreasonable risk to public health or the environment identified in a TSCA risk evaluation and apply the necessary requirements so that the chemical no longer presents an unreasonable risk.

On December 17^th, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule in the Federal Register to ban the manufacture, import, processing and distribution in commerce of trichloroethylene (TCE) for all uses, with longer compliance timeframes and stringent worker protections for some processing, industrial and commercial uses until prohibitions come into effect.

TCE is a volatile organic compound that is used in cleaning and furniture care products, arts and crafts spray coatings, and automotive care products like brake cleaners, and other consumer products.

The EPA is prohibiting most uses of TCE within one year, including

TCE manufacture by March 17^th, 2025;
Processing and distributing in commerce for most commercial and all consumer products containing TCE by June 16^th, 2025.

The prohibitions and restrictions will not apply to products containing TCE at thresholds less than 0.1 percent by weight.

EPA issues Final Rule to regulate Perchloroethylene

On December 18^th, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register to ban many uses of Perchloroethylene (PCE) and establish workplace controls for uses that are not prohibited.

PCE is a solvent that is widely used for consumer uses such as brake cleaners and adhesives, in commercial applications such as dry cleaning, and in many industrial settings.

The EPA is prohibiting all uses of PCE in consumer products with different enforcement dates, including:

PCE manufacture and import by June 11^th, 2026;
Processing by September 9^th, 2026;
Distributing in commerce to retailers by December 8^th, 2026;
Distributing in commerce by March 8^th, 2027.

The prohibitions and restrictions will not apply to products containing PCE at thresholds less than 0.1 percent by weight.

Oregon amends Toxic-Free Kids Act

On December 20^th, 2024, the State of Oregon approved Permanent Administrative Order PH 119-2024 to amend the Toxic-Free Kids Act. The amendment contains the following key revisions:

Adds the following 10 High Priority Chemicals of Concern for Children’s Health (HPCCCH) to the HPCCCH list, expanding it from 73 entries to 83 entries: (These additions are effective as of January 1^st, 2025, and will affect biennial notices made for products sold or offered for sale in 2024 and 2025, and beyond)
- Di-(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate (DMEP) (CAS #: 117-82-8)
- Tris (2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate (TDBPP) (CAS#: 126-72-7)
- Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP) (CAS#: 126-73-8)
- Tetrachloroethene (CAS#: 127-18-4)
- Dipentyl phthalate (DPP) (CAS#: 131-18-0)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid and related substances (PFOA) (CAS#: 335-67-1)
- Tricresyl phosphate (TCP) (CAS#: 1330-78-5)
- Bis (2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) (CAS#: 26040-51-7)
- Bis(chloromethyl)propane-1,3-diyl tetrakis-(2-chloroethyl) bis(phosphate) (V6) (CAS#: 38051-10-4)
- Isopropylated triphenyl phosphate (IPTPP) (CAS#: 68937-41-7)
- Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) (CAS#: 84852-53-9)
Adds brand name and product model to the list of information required to be reported.
Changes the deadline of each biennial notice period from December 31^st to January 31^st.
Validates an approved or deemed approved Hazard Assessment (HA) for a period of 3 years after the date of submittal and requires the manufacturer to resubmit a HA at the end of the 3-year period.

Japan

Japan designates 3 POP Chemicals as Class I Specified Chemical Substances

On December 18^th, 2025, Japan issued Cabinet Order No. 382 to add 3 persistent organic pollutant (POP) chemicals (methoxychlor, dechlorane plus and UV-328) as Class I Specified Substances under the enforcement of the Law Concerning the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances.

Effective June 18^th, 2025, the following products containing dechlorane plus will be prohibited:

Lubricating oils
Flame retardant additives to resin
Electronic and electrical equipment
Silicone rubber
Adhesives and tapes

Effective June 18^th, 2025, the following products containing UV-328 will be prohibited:

Lubricating oils
UV absorbing additives to resin
Paints and varnishes
Adhesives, tapes, and fillers for sealing

International

Regulatory proposals notified to the WTO

The table below summarises the most recent notifications made to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (non-exhaustive):

Notification number

Countries

Title

G/TBT/N/TPKM/554

The separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu,

Kinmen and Matsu

General Information on the Draft of the Restrictions on the Import of Detergents Containing Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Polyethylene Glycol Ether.

Highlights of the announcement are as follows:

Definitions of the Restrictions on the Import of Detergents Containing Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Polyethylene Glycol Ether.
The Restrictions on the Import of Detergents Containing Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Polyethylene Glycol Ether will be implemented in two phases based on concentration.
Exceptions to the exclusion of applicable provisions.

Sustainability, circular economy and environment

Miscellaneous technical publications relating to environmental, plastics, packaging and waste

The table below summarises the most recent publications regarding sustainability, the circular economy, and the environment (non-exhaustive):

Entity	Date	Publication
European Council	16/12/2024	Sustainable packaging: Council signs off on new rules for less waste and more re-use in the EU The new rules will significantly reduce the generation of packaging waste by setting binding re-use targets, restricting certain types of single-use packaging and requiring economic operators to minimise the packaging used. The regulation covers the full life cycle of packaging.
European Council	17/12/2024	Zero pollution: Council agrees its position on reducing plastic pellet losses, including in maritime transport The new rules will help to improve the handling of plastic pellets at all stages of the supply chain. This could reduce plastic pellet losses to the environment by up to 74%.
European Commission	19/12/2024	2024/0707/NL Publication of the amendment of the Environmental Management Act in connection with the introduction of an annual obligation for circular polymers, circular polymer units, and a register of circular polymer units (legal amendment for a Circular Plastic Standard).
European Commission	07/01/2025	Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/6 of 6 January 2025 prohibiting the introduction into the Union of specimens of certain species of wild fauna and flora in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2770. This initiative updates the species list of Regulation (EC) No 338/97. The European Commission adopted the initiative on the 6^th of January 2025.
European Commission	10/01/2025	Nature Restoration Regulation – uniform format for the national restoration plans (implementing act) In January 2025, the European Commission opened a feedback period to recompile information to prepare the draft act. It will be open until the 7^th of February 2025.
European Commission	13/01/2025	Hazardous substances – exemption for lead in high melting temperature type solders In January 2025, the European Commission opened a feedback period to recompile information to prepare the draft act. The exemption under assessment concerns lead in high melting temperature type solders used in electrical and electronic equipment. It will be open until the 10^th of February 2025.
European Commission	13/01/2025	Hazardous substances – exemption for lead in glass or in ceramic of electrical and electronic components In January 2025, the European Commission opened a feedback period to recompile information to prepare the draft act. The exemption under assessment concerns lead in glass or in ceramic of electrical or electronic components, including dielectric ceramic in capacitors. It will be open until the 10^th of February 2025.
European Commission	13/01/2025	Hazardous substances – exemption for lead as an alloying element in steel, aluminium and copper In January 2025, the European Commission opened a feedback period to recompile information to prepare the draft act. The exemption under assessment concerns lead as an alloying element in steel, aluminium and copper, which are used to manufacture electrical and electronic equipment. It will be open until the 10^th of February 2025.
European Chemical Agency (ECHA)	15/01/2025	Guidance on the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) was published with the aim of helping the implementation of the European positive list under the Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184.
Spanish Ministry of Social Rights and Consumer Affairs	16/01/2025	Sustainable Communication Guide The Spanish Ministry of Social Rights and Consumer Affairs has presented in Brussels the guide of good practices that it has launched to combat fraudulent practices by companies that present their products or services as environmentally friendly without scientific evidence to support this.