REACH
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, Restriction of Chemicals
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What is REACH?
REACH is the acronym for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, the European Union Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006.
REACH Regulation came into force on June 1, 2007 to control chemicals manufactured and imported into the EU member states, to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment.
REACH places the responsibility for ensuring the safety, health and environmental information of its products onto industry, requiring European manufacturers and importers to register their chemicals with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) before placing them on the market.
The Regulations also seek to promote the development of alternative methods for hazard assessment of chemical substances aiming to reduce the number of animal tests and ensuring their free circulation within the EU, while enhancing competitiveness and innovation.
Substances are registered through the elaboration and submission of a technical dossier to ECHA, containing information on product characteristics, compositional data, industrial process, phys-chem, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties, among others.
Substances submitted for registration may undergo a process of evaluation, authorization or restriction by authorities, including the European Commission, ECHA and / or member states. All chemicals are included in the scope of REACH unless classified as exempt by the Regulation.
In addition to regulating chemicals in the EU member states, REACH also applies within the European Economic Area (EEA), including Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.
To understand in detail the steps of the REACH Regulation, please click here to visit the ECHA website.
Petrobras at REACH
Petrobras products that are imported or placed on the European market have been properly registered as required by the REACH Regulation.
As the obligation to register substances in REACH is legally restricted to European companies, the registration of substances produced by Petrobras S.A. in Brazil and placed in the European market was carried out by two companies belonging to the Petrobras System located there: PETROBRAS GLOBAL TRADING BV - PGT BV, in the Netherlands, as an European importer, and PETROBRAS EUROPE LTD - PEL, in the United Kingdom, as Petrobras S.A Only Representative ('OR') as a non-European manufacturer.
From 2010 to 2013, Petrobras successfully completed more than 100 REACH registrations, thus authorizing operations within the European market in accordance with the Regulations. In addition to the substances that were subject to registration under REACH, Petrobras also made the appropriate notifications under the CLP Regulation (Classification, Labeling and Packaging - Reg. EC No. 1272/2018) for those substances placed on the European market considered exempt from registration, such as crude oil and natural gas.
Due to the UK withdrawal from the European Union (BREXIT) in December 2020, the REACH registrations made by PEL as Petrobras S.A. only representative have been transferred to PGT BV, which now has two different roles under REACH: OR for Petrobras S.A. and European importer.
Click here to access the complete list of substances registered and notified by Petrobras companies within REACH / CLP.
For more details on the CLP Regulation click here.
Compliance with REACH
REACH obligations do not end with the registration of substances. Maintaining compliance with the Regulation should be a continuous concern of the registrants.
Once the substance registration step has been completed, European manufacturers, importers and only representatives need to periodically update their registrations as an essential part of maintaining REACH Compliance.
The information contained in the registration dossiers shall also be reflected in the Safety Data Sheets (SDS), which are the primary compliance documents in the supply chain.
Updating dossiers is a legal obligation under Article 22 of REACH, which imposes duties on all registrants to carry out this activity on their own initiative and without undue delay whenever there is new information or significant changes about substances such as new test results or restriction on use.
As it is a complex activity involving extensive technical work that may result in the need for further sampling and physicochemical analysis of the registered streams, this process requires a multidisciplinary effort involving different areas of the Company.
Through the implementation of internal processes, standards and training of its staff working in the global trading of its products, Petrobras maintains compliance of its business operations within the REACH regulation in Europe.
Contact us and links to additional information
For additional information about Petrobras products regarding REACH, including safety data sheets, please contact us at REACH@petrobras.com.br
Alternatively, any questions about Petrobras' REACH registration may also be addressed to your usual business contact at the Company.
Petrobras recommends its customers to specifically assess their legal responsibilities regarding REACH prior to any business within the European Economic Area.
Additional information about REACH can be found at the following websites:
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