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3 The Role of Legislation
Implementing proactive legislative requires dedication and vigilance among the
many individuals and organizations involved in and affected throughout the process,
known as stakeholders. These can include, for example, legislators, law enforcement
agencies, companies, academic researchers, civil society organizations, and the
media. In developing and following the legislation, stakeholders should value
personal responsibility, precautionary thinking, and market-based optimization.
As new technology develops and additional protection options become available,
existing standards should also be continuously reviewed and rethought. The various
stakeholders are crucial to involve in the legislative development process and,
ideally, to also reach a political agreement with. This helps to ensure that legislation
receives widespread societal recognition.
3.3
Product Legislation
Globally, numerous existing legislative frameworks relate to chemical products and
processes in regard to the protection of human health and the environment. Most
often, a country or region (such as the EU) has developed its own set of regulations
that address in different ways and to different extents the thousands of chemical
substances on the market.
In most places with chemical legislation, newly developed substances need to
pass through a defined review process and be approved by government authorities
before being allowed on the market. The specific data requirements and criteria for
approval can vary greatly between countries and by chemical type.
Given the diversity and complexity of the many regulations and their changes
over time, it is not feasible to review and compare all of them here. Instead, this
section outlines some of the most important chemical legislations within a few
geographic regions with more extensively developed regulations. Focus is placed
largely on understanding key legislation within the EU, and a general introduction
is provided for legislation in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
Some key chemical management frameworks and global conventions managed by
intergovernmental organizations are also presented.
More information on each of the legislative frameworks or regulations included
here can be found by reviewing the websites of the relevant government authorities
referenced in each section.
3.3.1 Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH) in the EU
Industrial chemicals within the EU are largely regulated under the regulation
known as REACH, which stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization,
and Restriction of Chemicals (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2007) (ECHA, 2019i). The
underlying principle of REACH is that the burden of generating the data needed to
prove a substance is safe is placed on the producer or importer of the substance. The
3 The Role of Legislation
Implementing proactive legislative requires dedication and vigilance among the
many individuals and organizations involved in and affected throughout the process,
known as stakeholders. These can include, for example, legislators, law enforcement
agencies, companies, academic researchers, civil society organizations, and the
media. In developing and following the legislation, stakeholders should value
personal responsibility, precautionary thinking, and market-based optimization.
As new technology develops and additional protection options become available,
existing standards should also be continuously reviewed and rethought. The various
stakeholders are crucial to involve in the legislative development process and,
ideally, to also reach a political agreement with. This helps to ensure that legislation
receives widespread societal recognition.
3.3
Product Legislation
Globally, numerous existing legislative frameworks relate to chemical products and
processes in regard to the protection of human health and the environment. Most
often, a country or region (such as the EU) has developed its own set of regulations
that address in different ways and to different extents the thousands of chemical
substances on the market.
In most places with chemical legislation, newly developed substances need to
pass through a defined review process and be approved by government authorities
before being allowed on the market. The specific data requirements and criteria for
approval can vary greatly between countries and by chemical type.
Given the diversity and complexity of the many regulations and their changes
over time, it is not feasible to review and compare all of them here. Instead, this
section outlines some of the most important chemical legislations within a few
geographic regions with more extensively developed regulations. Focus is placed
largely on understanding key legislation within the EU, and a general introduction
is provided for legislation in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
Some key chemical management frameworks and global conventions managed by
intergovernmental organizations are also presented.
More information on each of the legislative frameworks or regulations included
here can be found by reviewing the websites of the relevant government authorities
referenced in each section.
3.3.1 Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH) in the EU
Industrial chemicals within the EU are largely regulated under the regulation
known as REACH, which stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization,
and Restriction of Chemicals (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2007) (ECHA, 2019i). The
underlying principle of REACH is that the burden of generating the data needed to
prove a substance is safe is placed on the producer or importer of the substance. The