Eurofins’ REACH task force ready as deadline looms
1 December 2009
The Eurofins Group’s REACH task force has put in place a comprehensive range of products and services to help its customers negotiate the REACH processes, as the one-year deadline for the first submissions arrives. By 1 December 2010 all companies that use high volumes of chemical substances, or those of a very high concern, must have submitted their registrations regarding these chemicals. Eurofins has combined resources across the Group, complemented by external consultant relationships, to meet the specific requirements of the registration process including major investment in the latest, state-of-the-art laboratories and high quality personnel.
The European Chemicals Agency (“ECHA”), based in Helsinki, has set three major deadlines for registration of chemicals. In general these are determined by tonnage manufactured or imported, with 1,000 tonnes/p.a. being required to be registered by 1 December 2010, 100 tonnes/p.a. by 1 June 2013 and 1 tonne/p.a. by 1 June 2018. In addition, chemicals of higher concern or toxicity also have to meet the 2010 deadline. At present the process is very much in its administrative stages, with companies preparing dossiers of data, collaborating by using the (mandatory) Substance Information Exchange Forum (‘SIEF’) and identifying data gaps. This will need to change soon.
Eurofins offers clients an efficient, straightforward route to meeting data requirements within these challenging timeframes. Operating as a one-stop shop in association with a network of consultancies, the Task Force provides a comprehensive portfolio of REACH services. Specifically, its laboratory testing centres around the major areas of Physico-Chemical properties, Aquatic Toxicology, Ecotoxicology, Environmental Behaviour & Biodegradability, Toxicology, Analytical Services and REACH for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).
Eurofins has also invested heavily to make sure that it has the necessary capacity, expertise and latest equipment, giving the market an extremely high-quality offering. As part of this process, the Group has recently moved into its new €6 million centre of excellence in Ecotoxicology, Aquatoxicology and Environmental Fate laboratory studies at its site in Niefern, near Stuttgart in Germany. The new building incorporates a multitude of state-of-the-art laboratories, climatic chambers, preparation areas and office space. Eurofins can now claim to have Europe’s largest capacity for Ecotoxicology studies combined with in-house online analytical determination. With this, an increase in its C14 radio labelling service and an estimated increase of 50% in physical chemistry capabilities, plus the establishment of a new team for inorganic matters, this one site will also be capable of delivering many aspects of REACH-related testing. This new facility will be complemented by other laboratories which complete the full portfolio of necessary tests.
The range of industries that might be affected is extremely wide, from Industrial Chemicals and Agrichemicals to Pharma and Cosmetics all the way through to food producers and retailers of finished goods. To date the Group has seen plenty of interest from existing and potential customers and is working hard to ensure that when the need for testing arises, it is in place to deliver the required services, not just for next year’s first deadline but for those to follow in the next nine years.
For further information please contact:
Eurofins REACH Task Force
Investor Relations
Phone: +32-2-769 7383
E-mail: ir@eurofins.com
Notes for the editor:
Eurofins – a global leader in bio-analysis
Eurofins Scientific is a life sciences company operating internationally to provide a comprehensive range of analytical testing services to clients from a wide range of industries including the pharmaceutical, food and environmental sectors.
With 8,000 staff in more than 150 laboratories across 30 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 25,000 reliable analytical methods for evaluating the authenticity, origin, safety, identity, composition and purity of biological substances and products. The Group is committed to providing its customers with high quality services, accurate results in time and, if requested, expert advice by its highly qualified staff.
The Eurofins Group is the world leader in food testing and one of the global market leaders in pharmaceuticals and environmental testing. It intends to pursue its dynamic growth strategy and expand both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.
As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the demands of regulatory authorities around the world.
The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (ISIN FR0000038259) and Frankfurt (WKN 910 251) Stock Exchanges (Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP).