8 Tips for Best Practice Chemical Compliance

Published 28th May 2019

Following best practice chemical compliance is advisable if brands, retailers and manufacturers want to achieve effective management of chemistry in product,

Faced with increasing pressure to identify and disclose potentially harmful chemicals in the products they are selling and to substitute chemicals of concern; responsible retailers are incorporating chemical management systems into their corporate sustainability strategies. So, what would a robust chemical management strategy be looking at?

 

Best Practice Chemical Compliance within the Chemical Management Strategy

There are a number of best practices in product chemicals management that can be applied to retailers that are beginning to develop their own systems. At Chem-MAP®, we would group these practices into the following categories:

 

1. Commitment to Chemical Safety

• Chemical management should be a board agenda item
• Consider association with relevant industry groups such as ZDHC and LWG

 

2. Chemical Management Policies

• Retailers should have a robust chemical policy (RSL)
• Policies should be maintained, updated and effectively communicated
• Compliance to the policy should be actively monitored

 

3. Testing for Restricted Chemicals

• There should be a testing plan in place to capture as much data as practically possible
• There should be a policy around failures and implementation of corrective actions
• Consider selection of testing providers; how is suitability assessed?

 

4. Supplier Management

• There should be a policy for onboarding of suppliers
• Consider direct sourcing Vs subcontracting
• There should be clear communication between suppliers and regulatory teams

 

5. Material Procurement

• There should be a clear process for material procurement
• How is suitability of materials is assessed?
• There should be clear communication between sourcing, design and regulatory teams

 

6. Training

• Training on chemical management for internal teams is critical
• Consider training for suppliers also

 

7. Auditing

• Consider undertaking chemical management audits at facility level

 

8. Future Proofing

• There should be a mechanism for keeping abreast of legislative and technical changes
• Is there a plan around phase out chemistry?

 

To achieve a stable and conforming product the responsible management of chemicals is a critical element of sustainable business practice; retailers play a key role in leading the movement towards supply chain initiatives and policies that ensure hazardous chemicals are purged from the supply chain.

 

Discuss Chemical Compliance with an Expert

For further information on how you can improve your chemical compliance and chemical management systems, speak to a Chem-MAP® chemical expert today via email to info@chem-map.com or call +44 (0)1604 67999. You can also get in touch through the website contact form below.

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