According to an analysis by CEFIC of data reported through the EU’s Safety Gate, 2020 saw a steep increase in imports of hand sanitisers that were not compliant with the EU chemicals safety rules. These were either not marked as flammable or containing methanol, as required by EU Classification & Labelling rules, or had insufficient ethanol to kill viruses, as required by the Biocides Regulation, CEFIC noted.

SOCMA has outlined how it will work with, and the changes it anticipates from, a new administration in the US

With the long drawn-out saga of the 2020 US election finally over and a new administration in place, SOCMA has begun a series of webinars to educate members about what to expect from the Biden administration and its own priorities in engaging with them. The first took place on 25 February.

The European Commission has completed its annual review of chemicals subject to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation, based on developments in EU law and the Rotterdam Convention. As a result, 22 substances have been added to the list of those where exporters are required to notify their designated national authority at least days before exporting them as a product or in mixtures, as of 1 September. In 20 cases, consent from the importing country is also needed.