In March 2018, a draft regulation was circulated by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), proposing an amendment to entry 51 under Annex XVII of REACH, concerning the restriction of phthalates, due to be adopted in the latter half of 2018 for toys and childcare articles.
The proposed changes to entry 51 under Annex XVII of REACH include:
The provision to restrict the four phthalates in articles other than toys and childcare articles will become effective 18 months after the date of entry into force, likely to be early 2020.
What are phthalates?
Phthalates are high production volume chemicals used primarily as plasticizers in polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) products. Whilst there are multiple phthalates, all of them are used to make plastic more soft and flexible.
Phthalates are heavily regulated globally, due to a number of them being known or suspected endocrine disrupters.
Phthalates are most likely to be present across a variety of products, including clothing and apparel, footwear, upholstery, and children’s toys, making it vitally important that your business can provide proof of REACH compliance through testing.
How to comply with REACH
At BLC, we can test your products for compliance with REACH regulation through the follow chemical testing packages:
View BLC REACH Testing Services
Global Restrictions on Phthalates
Phthalates are restricted not only in Europe, but are also prohibited under various global legislation such as CPSIA and California Proposition 65, of which we can provide chemical testing to ensure your products are compliant.
Contact BLC Today to Discuss Phthalates in Your Products
If you need technical advice on chemical compliance for phthalates in products and materials, contact a chemical testing expert at BLC today on +44 (0)1604 679 999 or email info@chem-map.com.
Vegan Verification is an innovative programme from Eurofins | Chem-MAP which risk assesses materials and components, as well as providing testing of chemicals and materials, to establish whether any animal or by-products have been used. The Vegan Verification Programme can be used to test various products from footwear and...
Published 24th April 2024 Read more