36
3 The Role of Legislation
to reduce the risks and on the socioeconomic impact of the proposed restrictions,
respectively. Based on these opinions, the European Commission makes a final
decision on the proposed restrictions, which member states then need to enforce.
3.3.2 EU Classification and Labelling (CLP)
Linked to but independent of the REACH regulation is the EU’s Classification,
Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). It
aligns existing European legislation with the United Nation’s Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (European Commission,
2019a), which is an international standard that aims to do just what its name says:
harmonize the global classification and labeling of chemicals. Under CLP, suppliers
are responsible for identifying whether a substance or mixture of substances exhibits
hazardous properties that might require classification and labeling using the GHS
standards. If so, then a GHS hazard category and class need to be assigned to
describe and communicate physical, health, and environmental hazards, among
others (ECHA, 2019h).
Some of the hazard classifications that exist under the GHS are shown in Table
3.1. Identified hazards for a substance or mixture then need to be communicated to
all actors in the supply chain, all the way down to the end consumer. This is done
through the use of labels and safety data sheets that aim to alert anyone handling it to
the risks, as well as provide information on how to manage those risks. Accordingly,
labeling should include the following (ECHA, 2019d):
• Supplier identity: Contact details of the supplier or suppliers have to be featured
on the label.
• Product identifiers: The substance(s) should be clearly identifiable through a
name as listed in the Classification and Labeling Inventory (see below) and/or
through its IUPAC name and its European Community (EC) or Chemical
Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number. In the case of mixtures, the trade name
of the mixture and the identity of all the substances in the mixture that contribute
to its hazardous classification need to be displayed.
• Hazard pictograms: The applicable hazard classification(s) should be displayed
in the form of the standardized pictograms, as shown in Table 3.1.
• Signal words: Along with hazard pictograms, appropriate signal words should
also be displayed. More severe hazards require the use of the word “Danger” and
less severe hazards the word “Warning.” In the case of multiple hazard categories,
only one signal word should be displayed, with “Danger” taking precedence over
“Warning.”
• Hazard statements: To describe the nature of the hazard in more details, CLP
hazard labels must also include hazard statements. Each statement has a code,
starting with an “H” and followed by a three-digit number, indicating the nature
of the hazard. Examples can be found in Table 3.2. A full list of current hazard
statements is available in the official GHS guidelines (UN, 2019).
3 The Role of Legislation
to reduce the risks and on the socioeconomic impact of the proposed restrictions,
respectively. Based on these opinions, the European Commission makes a final
decision on the proposed restrictions, which member states then need to enforce.
3.3.2 EU Classification and Labelling (CLP)
Linked to but independent of the REACH regulation is the EU’s Classification,
Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). It
aligns existing European legislation with the United Nation’s Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (European Commission,
2019a), which is an international standard that aims to do just what its name says:
harmonize the global classification and labeling of chemicals. Under CLP, suppliers
are responsible for identifying whether a substance or mixture of substances exhibits
hazardous properties that might require classification and labeling using the GHS
standards. If so, then a GHS hazard category and class need to be assigned to
describe and communicate physical, health, and environmental hazards, among
others (ECHA, 2019h).
Some of the hazard classifications that exist under the GHS are shown in Table
3.1. Identified hazards for a substance or mixture then need to be communicated to
all actors in the supply chain, all the way down to the end consumer. This is done
through the use of labels and safety data sheets that aim to alert anyone handling it to
the risks, as well as provide information on how to manage those risks. Accordingly,
labeling should include the following (ECHA, 2019d):
• Supplier identity: Contact details of the supplier or suppliers have to be featured
on the label.
• Product identifiers: The substance(s) should be clearly identifiable through a
name as listed in the Classification and Labeling Inventory (see below) and/or
through its IUPAC name and its European Community (EC) or Chemical
Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number. In the case of mixtures, the trade name
of the mixture and the identity of all the substances in the mixture that contribute
to its hazardous classification need to be displayed.
• Hazard pictograms: The applicable hazard classification(s) should be displayed
in the form of the standardized pictograms, as shown in Table 3.1.
• Signal words: Along with hazard pictograms, appropriate signal words should
also be displayed. More severe hazards require the use of the word “Danger” and
less severe hazards the word “Warning.” In the case of multiple hazard categories,
only one signal word should be displayed, with “Danger” taking precedence over
“Warning.”
• Hazard statements: To describe the nature of the hazard in more details, CLP
hazard labels must also include hazard statements. Each statement has a code,
starting with an “H” and followed by a three-digit number, indicating the nature
of the hazard. Examples can be found in Table 3.2. A full list of current hazard
statements is available in the official GHS guidelines (UN, 2019).