US trade association helps manufacturers cope with REACH

The trade association, formerly known as the CTFA, has organised the event to help American manufacturers cope with the new European chemical legislation, designed to further protect the consumer from potentially dangerous chemicals. Under the legislation manufacturers must prove that the chemicals used in their products are safe at all stages of the product's lifecycle. Although the legislation is an EU directive companies wishing to retail their products on the European market will also be affected by the rules and regulations. The seminar opens on February 6 with an overview of the REACH legislation followed by a discussion of the pre-registration issues that a company may come across. The panel will include representatives from Mayer Brown and Croda, as well as Janet Blaschke from the International Cosmetics and Regulatory Specialists. Day two of the seminar (February 7) will comprise of a number of workshops attempting to tackle in more detail specific issues that an international company might experience in light of Europe's policy. The first of the three workshops explores the characterization of REACH substances, tackling chemicals that are exempt from the legislation. Present at the workshop will be representatives from industry giants Coty, Elizabeth Arden and BASF. Workshop number two tackles how a company can organize itself to cope with REACH, looking at industry experiences of communications throughout supply chains, substance inventories and generally managing information flow. Karen Beanland from Proctor & Gamble and Michel Julement from Colgate are amongst the industry representatives involved in this workshop. Workshop three concentrates on how industry collaboration may facilitate the industry's reaction to REACH legislation and the role of the Personal Care Council in assisting this process. Senior Director of the Council Dr Jay Ansell will be chairing the final workshop. Dr Ansell is charged with providing support within the Council regarding the science and regulation of personal care products. The Council hopes the event will provide the opportunity for companies to share information and experiences thereby becoming better equipped to cope with Europe's legislative framework.