June 16, 2015
As of June 1, 2015, EC Regulation 1272/2008: Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) is the only legislation applicable to the classification and labeling of both substances and mixtures — defined as solutions composed of two or more substances. Primary changes include:
- Modification of the danger symbols and the classification of substances: some products shall be re-labeled due the introduction of new pictograms (examples provided)
- Modification of classification of mixtures due the new criteria according to CLP: some mixtures not classified as hazardous according to the criteria of Directive 1999/45/EC will instead be classified as hazardous according to CLP, therefore formulations of mixtures should be reviewed to verify the classification according to CLP Regulation. The new classification criteria may be more stringent than those of Directive 1999/45/EC, such as for mixtures that contain substances that are classified as eye irritation or may cause serious eye damage, and those that have lower generic concentration limit to determine the classification of the whole mixture.
EXAMPLES OF PICTOGRAMS
| Directive 1999/45/EC | Regulation 1272/2008 |
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Impacted:
- Suppliers of hazardous materials
- Suppliers that provide safety data sheets (SDS)
- Companies that are manufacturers or importers of dangerous mixtures
- Suppliers that refill, repackage or reimport hazardous chemicals into the EU without changing their composition
By way of derogation, mixtures classified, labeled and packaged in accordance with Directive 1999/45/EC and already placed on the market before June 1, 2015 are not required to be re-labeled and repackaged in accordance with this Regulation until June 1, 2017.