CIRS Europe Spoke at CHEMUK 2023

Members of CIRS Europe and UK attended CHEMUK 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham on May 10-11. CHEMUK is the UK’s largest trade show for the Chemical, Laboratory, and Process Industries.

The two-day event showcased 420 exhibitors and hosted 150+ expert speakers with more than 2,000 attendees joining each day.

We were proud to attend for the fourth time with a stand once again where the team was able to answer a constant stream of regulatory questions from attendees. There was a marked increase in attendees from last year and a much wider variety of questions and diverse areas of interest.

From Left to right Ellen Daliday (CIRS UK), Bryan Zhou, Dean Winder, and Li Xiang (CIRS Europe).

We also had the opportunity to give two presentations on the first day, which were both very busy and well-received by participants.

The first presentation was entitled The Latest Updates from Korea Reach and GHS, presented by our Business Manager, Li Xiang.

Presentation Overview

The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals known as the amended K-REACH came into force on January 1, 2019. In the subsequent years, the regulations have entered a transition period where the full registration of chemicals is required on a phased basis depending on the chemical properties and the required tonnage band.

During this time not only has much been learned regarding the process and data requirements but also there have been further updates to the GHS requirements for substance mixtures introduced by K-OSHA. Becoming aware of, and understanding these changes is vital to reducing the barriers to entry to the Korean market.

The second presentation was entitled The Latest Updates from MEE Order 12 (China REACH) and GHS, presented by our Senior Regulatory Consultant, Dean Winder.

Presentation Overview

In recent years the chemical regulatory framework in China has undergone fundamental changes with the introduction of MEE Order 12 (also known as China REACH), this regulation replaced and updated the foundation regulation MEE Order 7, which had been in place since 2003.

These changes include an update to the registration process and Data Requirements of New Chemical substances in China, the introduction of regulations for Highly Hazardous Substances, the implementation of new requirements under GHS, and the trial of the “One Enterprise, One Product, One Code” among others. Becoming aware of and understanding these changes is vital to reducing your barriers to entering the China market.