Background

The Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992 resulted in an international mandate, to create:

"a globally harmonised hazard classification and compatible labelling system, including material safety data sheets and easily understandable symbols"

- This is abbreviated to the ‘GHS’.

The work on the UN GHS (also known as the ‘Purple Book’) began by examining the major existing classification and labelling systems around the world (including that of the EU).

The UN GHS aims to ensure that information on the hazardous properties of chemicals is available throughout the world in order to enhance the protection of human health and the environment during the handling, transport and use of chemicals.

The UN GHS provides the basis for harmonising regulations on chemicals at national, regional and worldwide level. This is important for facilitating trade.

The UN GHS also aims to provide a structure for countries that do not yet have a classification and labelling system.

The UN anticipates that once fully implemented, the GHS will:

• enhance the protection of human health and the environment by providing a system for hazard communication that is comprehensible throughout the world;
• provide a recognized framework for those countries without an existing system;
• reduce the need for testing and evaluation of chemicals (agreeing/harmonising classification will help to reduce the need for animal testing); and
• facilitate trade in chemicals whose hazards have been properly assessed and identified on an international basis.

A number of key principles were agreed at a very early stage, including a key commitment that:

"the level of protection offered to workers, consumers, the general public and the environment should not be reduced as a result of harmonizing the classification and labelling systems"

The 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg, agreed that the GHS should be implemented worldwide and set the target date of 2008. This commits countries to make the necessary laws to require suppliers of chemicals within their territories to adopt the UN GHS.

The UN work programmes continue to be develop and refine the UN GHS in biennial work programmes.

• Further information on the United Nations GHS

Within the Europe Union (EU), Member States asked the European Commission to prepare a proposal for a Regulation which would implement the UN GHS criteria in all EU Member States.

The European Commission has published a proposed Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures.

The proposed Regulation will be direct-acting, requiring no national transposition. Its provisions will be phased in over a period of seven and a half years. This is intended to help suppliers and users of chemicals change from the current EU classification and labelling system to the new GHS-based system.

The proposed Regulation is currently subject to Member State negotiations. The negotiations are expected to conclude in June/July 2008.

The Regulation is expected to enter into legal effect at the end of 2008. The transitional period is expected to end in 2015.

The proposed new Regulation will replace the:

• Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC)
• Dangerous Preparations Directive (1999/45/EC)

These Directives have been implemented in the UK as the Chemicals Hazard Information and Packaging for supply Regulations (CHIP). The CHIP Regulations will be fully repealed in 2015.

• Further information on the new European Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures (based on the UN GHS)