Hanoi (VNA) – European Union regulation on the use of chemicals in manufactured products were under the spotlight at a workshop held in Hanoi on May 14.
Under the EU regulation, called Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH), manufacturers are obliged to identify the type and amount of chemicals used in products.
More than 150 Vietnamese garment, textiles, footwear and chemicals manufacturers attended the regulation REACH workshop, which was jointly held by the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham), Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, the United Nations Industrial Development Oganisation (UNIDO), the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoTI) and the Hanoi Planning and Investment Department.
Eurocham Director Nicholas Greenfield said REACH seminars were designed to help Vietnamese enterprises better understand this complex law and the implications of the legislation of REACH for their businesses.
According to Bureau Veritas’ New Services Development Vice President David Horlock, REACH has a wide range of implications for brand owners, retailers and their supply chains, not only just for exporting to the EU market but also for Asia or US market as well.
“Knowing what is in the product and putting in place a sustainable system to identify monitor and control the use of chemical substances across the supply chain will be essential to REACH compliance,” Horlock said.
MoTI’s International Cooperation Department Deputy Director Dang Phan Thu Huong said Vietnamese businesses need to find information on their products and provide this information to their suppliers.
Huong also pledged the government will support the provision of information and introduce partners to help businesses access and meet REACH requirements.
Launched in June 2007, REACH will be enacted in phases, beginning with pre-registration from June to December. During this period, brand owners, manufacturers and importers need to declare information about chemicals in their products being exported to the EU.
Horlock says Bureau Veritas, a consultancy company with experience in REACH, plans to organise more REACH-related seminars to help Vietnamese manufacturers understand what substances are allowed for products as well as REACH’s obligations and requirements.-Enditem
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