Chemicals

Chemicals

Chemicals—content

Content on chemicals in this subtopic includes the following Practice Notes:

Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

•
GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 649/2012—snapshot— which provides a snapshot on the Assimilated Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation EU No 649/2012, which administers the import and export of certain hazardous chemicals and places obligations on companies who wish to export these chemicals to non-GB countries. It implements the Rotterdam Convention on prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. The Practice Note also details key elements, objectives and scope and focuses on other important areas, such as the role of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), how the export notifications, PIC notifications and PIC procedure work, including for banned or severely restricted chemicals, how information is exchanged, related legislation in England and Wales, recent developments concerning the addition of chemicals to Rotterdam Convention, Annex III and the upcoming HSE review of chemicals regulations in GB

UK REACH

•
UK REACH: Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006—snapshot—which explains the key aspects of the UK Assimilated Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Environment News

Environment Agency launches voluntary MRV period ahead of UK ETS expansion

The Environment Agency has published guidance confirming that a voluntary monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV)-only period for energy from waste (EfW) and waste incineration facilities has begun in England from 1 January 2026, ahead of the planned expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) to these installations. The guidance explains which facilities are in scope, how operators can participate and how the voluntary period is intended to help operators prepare for future UK ETS compliance when EfW and waste incineration are formally brought into the scheme.

Call for Climate Justice announces Zug Court ruling on Holcim climate lawsuit

Call for Climate Justice has announced that the Cantonal Court of Zug has ruled that a climate lawsuit filed by four Indonesian fishers against Swiss-based cement producer Holcim is admissible. The plaintiffs, residents of Pari Island, argue that Holcim’s carbon dioxide emissions have contributed to climate change impacts, including flooding and sea-level rise that threaten their homes and livelihoods.

Commission launches consultation on draft regulation setting end-of-waste criteria for plastics

The European Commission has launched a consultation on a draft implementing regulation setting out EU-wide criteria to determine when plastic waste ceases to be waste under Directive 2008/98/EC (the Waste Framework Directive). The proposal is intended to support the creation of a single market for recycled plastics and secondary raw materials, while reducing administrative burdens for recyclers and advancing the EU’s circular economy objectives. It focuses on thermoplastic polymers and blends of thermoplastics and covers mechanical and solvent-based recycling operations. The consultation closes on 26 January 2026.

Commission amends EU ETS State aid Guidelines to address increased carbon leakage risks

The European Commission has adopted an amendment to its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) State aid Guidelines to address the increased carbon leakage risk faced by additional energy-intensive industries due to higher EU ETS costs. Key changes include: (1) extending the list of industrial sectors eligible for compensation to include 20 new sectors and two new subsectors; (2) increasing the aid intensity from 75% to 80% for sectors already eligible before the amendment to account for their higher carbon leakage risk; (3) allowing Member States to notify sectors or subsectors not on the amended list if they can demonstrate a genuine risk of carbon leakage and (4) requiring large beneficiaries to contribute to the green transition, including investing a portion of the aid in projects that reduce electricity system costs. Additionally, CO₂ emission factors and geographic areas have been updated for 2026–30. The amendment allows Member States to apply a gradual transition from 2026 to 2030, where the decrease in the applicable maximum regional CO₂ emission factor compared with 2021–25 is particularly large.