Study on the regulatory fitness of the legislative framework governing the risk management of chemicals (excluding REACH), in particular the CLP Regulation and related legislation : final report

As part of its Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT), the European Commission launched a fitness check on chemicals legislation (excluding REACH). This study supports the fitness check in evaluating the CLP Regulation ((EC) No 1272/2008) and its interface with other related chemicals legislation in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value. Mapping was undertaken to establish the scope of relevant legislation followed by desk research and a suite of stakeholder consultation activities, which assisted in answering a range of evaluation questions. The evaluation considered the rules and processes for classifying substances and mixtures, the methods of communication of the associated hazard information and the properties of concern that require consideration. It also considered linkages between CLP and downstream legislation, assessing risk management based on generic risk considerations (triggered automatically by a CLP classification) as opposed to risk management based on specific risk assessments. The study finds that, generally, the objectives of the chemicals legislative framework continue to be relevant and provide added value at the EU level. However, there are gaps, overlaps and inconsistencies, as well as implementation issues, that affect the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and coherence of the framework.