How does SKW Piesteritz put REACH into effect?

Successful implementation of European environmental law at
SKW Piesteritz

New European Chemical Law

On 1 June 2007 a new Directive (EC) No. 1907/2006 came into force within the European Union, which is intended to establish a new regulatory footing for chemical policy in the EU from the ground up. Known as “REACH”, this Directive governs the registration, evaluation, approval, and restriction of chemicals within Europe. The aim is to provide better protection for both people and the environment by providing more comprehensive data material for each individual substance. SKW Piesteritz supports these aims absolutely without reservation.

In order for SKW Piesteritz to be allowed to continue to produce after 1 December 2010, all substances had to be registered which up to then had incurred an annual production quantity of more than 1,000 tonnes. In this first step, extensive sets of data were sent electronically to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, created especially for the implementation of REACH. In our case, this involved ammonia, urea, nitric acid, and other substances intended for use within the company.

Registration deadlines

The deadlines for registration depend on the quantities of the substances manufactured or imported, and their characteristics and properties.

First deadline by 1 December 2010 for all substances in quantities above 1,000 tonnes per year

SKW Piesteritz has registered the following substances for the first registration phase:

Second deadline by 1 June 2013 for all substances in quantities from 100 to < 1,000 tonnes per year

For the second registration phase, SKW Piesteritz will be registering the substance dinitrogen tetraoxide.