Product safety regulations: REACH and CLP Regulations

Both EU and non-EU legislation requires companies to assess the risks associated with the production, importing, bringing to market and use of substances and mixtures right throughout the supply chain and to take the necessary measures to manage any risks that might be identified. Currently recognised product safety legislation has been merged at European level to form two regulations - the REACH Regulation and the CLP Regulation.

All Eni companies seek to achieve the objectives of the REACH Regulation, which aims to ensure a high level of both health and environmental protection. Within the Exploration & Production and Gas & Power divisions, specific responsibilities have been defined in terms of implementing the REACH Regulation and are now an integral part of the HSE Integrated Management System. With regards to the Refining & Marketing division, a specific structure reporting to the HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment and Quality) unit has been established for the purposes of implementing the provisions of the REACH Regulation and involving of all the parties concerned within the company.

The REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 published on 30/12/2006 thoroughly revises all of the European Union rules in force regarding the control of chemical substances for the protection of health and the environment and for the first time makes the industry responsible for demonstrating the safety of its products. 

The regulation covers the entire chemical industry supply chain, including manufacturers, importers, industrial and professional users, and distributors. The key principles of the regulation are already part of Eni's commitment to sustainability and an integral part of our culture and history. Eni representatives play an active role in the working groups set up by European trade associations, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) and CONCAWE to ensure compliance with the directives included in the regulations, develop guidelines for the industry and prepare all of the elements required to ensure regulatory compliance and correct product management.

Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and standardising the criteria for the classification of substances and mixtures and the rules governing the labelling and packaging of dangerous substances and mixtures.

Eni has developed efficient processes and structures to make certain that all of its products are registered and/or authorised and has established close communication with its customers and suppliers to ensure that all of its products meet the requirements of the REACH and CLP Regulations. The Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which describes the hazards associated with handling, storing and transporting a substance or mixture and provides guidance on its proper use, is the main tool used to transmit information along the supply chain. Safety Data Sheets for Eni products can be found here.

One of the key aspects of the general framework governing the implementation of the REACH Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 concerns the exchange of information between manufacturers, importers and the downstream users of the chemicals in question. One particularly important element of this exchange involves identifying the actual uses of the substances so that they can be assessed as part of the registration process and included on the “extended” safety data sheet (eSDS) in future. If a specific use for the substance is not specified in the dossier, it could lead to restrictions on its actual use. 

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has developed a series of codes (“REACH descriptors”) in order to classify the use of substances and facilitate the exchange of information on their conditions of use in the various industrial sectors. A list of these codes and other information regarding their usage is available on the ECHA website. A complete list of use descriptors for substance registration in the REACH regulations and exposure scenarios for substances linked to the oil cycle are to be found in the following websites: https://www.concawe.eu/ (Select "REACH Implementation", then "9. List of Identified Uses.”) e http://www.atiel.org(Select “REACH”).

Some of the descriptors used in the context of petroleum products are shown below by way of example: