March 2011

BLA Members Registered for REACH

All BLA Members have now fully registered their products for the European Union Regulation commonly known as ‘REACH’ far in advance of the December 2013 deadline.

The REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) Regulation came into existence in June 2007, its 849 pages took seven years to pass, and it has been described as the most complex legislation in the Union's history and the most important in 20 years.

The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical products. At the same time, REACH aims to enhance innovation and competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.

The benefits of the REACH system will come gradually, as more and more substances are phased into REACH. The REACH Regulation places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on their products. Manufacturers and importers are required to gather information on the properties of their chemical substances, which will allow their safe handling, and to register the information in a central database run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, Finland.

Following successful pre-registration in November 2008, all BLA Members have now submitted their dossiers and successfully registered their lime substances with (ECHA) far in advance of the 1st December 2013 deadline.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact Gwil Neal by tel: 0207 9638000 or e-mail gwilym.neal@mineralproducts.org

The BLA is a constituent body of the Mineral Products Association Ltd., the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt and ready-mix concrete industries. The BLA represents the interests of six member companies, responsible for producing more than 95% of the lime sold in the UK. The BLA members are Hanson, Lhoist UK Ltd, Singleton Birch, Steetley Dolomite Ltd, Tarmac Buxton Lime & Cement UK and Totternhoe Lime and Stone Company Ltd.