Responsibility for Our Products Worldwide

 

REACH

The European chemicals directive REACH sets out terms for the registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals in the European Union. With its networked structure and extensive chemical portfolio, BASF is one of the companies most heavily affected by REACH. We are well aware of the changes it will bring, which prompted us to start preparing for REACH as far back as 2004. BASF will register several thousand chemical substances under the terms of REACH. Until completion of implementation in 2018, the company expects REACH to lead to annual costs of €50 million for products such as compiling registration documents and carrying out additional studies.

 

 

2015 GOAL

 

Based on a risk assessment, we want to review all substances produced or sold worldwide in the BASF Group in quantities of more than 1 metric ton per year by 2015.

 

 

For BASF, information regarding the hazardous properties of substances is simply one component that is needed for the safe and responsible handling of chemical products. Further information such as the type and extent of potential exposure to humans and the environment is also required in order to assess all possible risks. In conjunction with our voluntary commitment, we will review our risk assessments of all substances and conduct new risk assessments in line with REACH specifications.

 

REACH implementation at BASF

For the implementation of REACH, we have developed efficient processes and structures for the entire BASF Group. For example, a REACH implementation team ensures that all operating division products are recorded for REACH. In a central database, the REACH Tracking System, we can track the status of all substances that have to be registered. During the pre-registration phase, which ended on December 1, 2008, BASF submitted more than 40,000 pre-registrations for several thousand substances. Through this we can now prevent interruptions in the production, delivery and sales of substances. The first registration phase is now starting and must be completed by November 2010. In this phase, all large-volume substances of more than 1,000 tons, environmentally dangerous substances and substances with carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic effects (CMR substances), will be registered.

 

Responsibility for our products worldwide

BASF provides safety data sheets for all the products it sells, not just where legally required. We update the data sheets as soon as new data become available. They are now available in 34 languages. To encourage the safe use of our products, our BASF companies offer training courses and workshops specially tailored to individual customer needs. Our customers and employees can also obtain information on BASF products around the clock using our global network of emergency hotlines. On request, we also carry out eco-efficiency analyses for our customers. BASF has a broad range of products for applications in numerous industries. A product may consist of just one substance or a large number of substances.

 

 

2020 GOAL

 

By 2020, we want to conduct a risk assessment for all products of which quantities of more than 1 metric ton are sold worldwide in the BASF Group per year.

 

 

Through this new goal, we take our responsibility for BASF products much further than all existing legal regulations. Risk assessments will be available for all BASF products of which we sell more than 1 metric ton – regardless of the volumes of individual substances used in them. We will provide both our customers and the general public with transparent information about these risk assessments. BASF will issue annual reports on the processes for assessing substances and products, the way in which substances and products are handled, and our progress in achieving the goals we have set ourselves. Through these product safety goals, we are supporting the Global Product Strategy (GPS) and other initiatives proposed by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA). We are taking part in information and further training events related to GPS around the world, and particularly in Asia. In addition to our commitment to GPS, we are also voluntarily engaged in the United Nations’ Strategic Approach for International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

 

Environmental and toxicological testing

Our products must be safe for humans and the environment. Before new chemical substances enter the market we subject them to all necessary environmental and toxicological tests and apply to the appropriate authorities for registration.

 

Animal studies are needed to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. REACH will require additional data on the properties of chemical substances and this will automatically lead to an increase in the number of animal studies required by law. BASF has been operating its own laboratory for the development of animal-free methods (alternative methods) since 2004.

 

We are committed to the ethical principles of animal protection and have set ourselves the goal of developing and using alternative methods to animal studies. Currently, 35% of our studies already use such alternatives. To date, very few animal-free alternative methods have been recognized by the authorities. Those available are all used at BASF and we have even helped to develop some of them. We apply all of these methods – and are doing so with increasing frequency: We also made a complete switch to alternative methods in our laboratory for skin tests. For more than 20 years, we have been involved in all relevant research projects to develop alternative and supplementary methods for animal studies and have invested considerable resources. Through a combination of alternative methods and measures taken to improve the significance of studies, we have been able to significantly reduce the number of animals in research testing.

 

Safe handling of nanomaterials

Health and safety protection regarding the use of new technologies are also of key importance to us. Together with our experts in occupational medicine and health protection, we have created a nanotechnology guideline that provides a basis for the responsible use of nanomaterials. Because more knowledge means more safety, we have been engaged in research on the safety of nanomaterials for a number of years. Advances in nanotechnology are accompanied by advances in toxicology, which will allow an even more comprehensive assessment of nanomaterials. Therefore we conduct toxicological experiments and participate in national and international research projects. The results are provided promptly to experts at symposia and from scientific journals, as well as to the wider public online. For NanoCare, a project of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) completed in 2009, we collaborated with partners from industry, universities and research institutes to develop methods that allow for even more precise measurement of the biological effect of nanomaterials. The results support the OECD’s safety evaluation activities. In 2009, we continued our Dialogue Forum Nano, where we discuss the opportunities and risks of nanotechnology with consumer protection organizations, environmental associations and churches.

 

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