EU Updates Substance Classifications in the 18th ATP to CLP

By Eleanor Grimes, senior regulatory specialist, UL's Supply Chain team 

The EU has evaluated and adopted a series of harmonized substance classification changes proposed between December 2019 and December 2020. These new classifications will amend the current Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulations EU No. 1272/2008 Annex VI list.  

The amendments include 39 new additions, 17 amendments and one deletion, with substances including bisphenol A (CAS 80-05-7), 2 butoxyethanol (CAS 111-76-2) and benzophenone (CAS 119-61-9) being affected. Substance classifications can include specific M-factors, specific concentration limits and substance ATE values as part of the overall classification. 

The new classifications are not legally mandated until Dec. 1, 2023, which grants suppliers time to adapt to the changes and allow existing stocks to clear the supply chain. However, our recommendation is that anyone supplying substances on this list, either by themselves or in mixtures, updates their classifications and documentation sooner rather than later so information can pass down the supply chain and prevent affected products from being out of compliance in December 2023.