Assessing the socio-economic impacts of chemicals regulation
REACH Authorisation support // Restriction support // Biocides // Impacts Assessment for Chemicals Policy
Through this service, we can help our clients answer questions like the following:
- How do we value human health and the environment?
- How do we value the importance of a substance/product for EU society?
- What are the costs of compliance for my company/sector?
- What are the costs and benefits of continued use (or restricting the use) of a substance?
- Is this the best regulatory action or can the same outcome be achieved at lower cost?
Together with our technical partners and sector specialists, we provide practical support to industry and public sector clients through the entire REACH authorisation and/or restriction process and other chemicals policy such as the Carcinogens Directive and Biocides Regulation.
Our chemicals policy service benefits from our extensive experience in policy and investment appraisals, socio-economic analysis and valuing impacts on companies, human health and the environment.
Our toolkit to evaluate and implement chemicals policy includes:
- Market assessments
- Stakeholder consultation
- Supply chain mapping
- Material flow analysis (MFA)
- Value chains – which demonstrate the ‘value added’ along the supply chain
- Analysis of alternatives (AoA)
- Valuation of economic, social, human health and environment impacts
We support clients for REACH Advocacy, which involves assessing the benefits to society of continued use(s) of a substance (until a suitable alternative is available) compared to any possible risks, as well as, an assessment of possible alternatives. This can be done at use/sector level and enables sector associations, companies/consortia to communicate their value to EU society before any regulatory decisions are made (i.e. a Risk Management Option Analysis - RMOA).
We also provide REACH scoping studies which are “mini-applications” or “setting out the business case”. They are based on readily available data to understand the position of the company/consortium (e.g. strengths and weaknesses of the business case) so that an informed decision can be made depending on the strength of the analysis. Working with partners we produce scoping studies that assess the scale of the risks to human health and the environment, the benefits (value) of continued use the substance, and an initial screening of possible alternatives. This can range from a 1-2 day workshop to a more in depth one month study.
For REACH Socio-Economic Analysis (SEA) we deliver tailor-made half day or full day training workshops to develop an organisation’s understanding and ability to produce or respond to an SEA. The training helps our clients prepare the types of data they need and make the key strategic decisions needed.
For REACH Authorisation, we work with partners to assist companies and consortia with their applications for authorisation, including producing a Chemical Safety Report (CSR), Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) and SEA.
For REACH Restrictions, we work with partners to support industry (and regulators) to help determine if restrictions are the most appropriate risk management option (RMO), and if a restriction is deemed necessary, which specific uses should be included and excluded (i.e. through a derogation).
Our expertise has also been successfully utilised for other chemicals regulation which includes assessing the costs and benefits of proposed Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) under the Carcinogen’s Directive, and carrying out a socio-economic analysis and comparative assessment (of possible alternatives) under the Biocides Regulation.
Some of our clients for this service include:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Nickel Institute, European Commission, Environment Agency, Cadmium REACH Consortium, Vlisco, Cobalt REACH Consortium and OLON Spa
Contact Person: Thea Sletten
