Ready for R.E.A.CH.?—A Service Company Approach to REACH Sustainable Solutions

摘要

R.E.A.CH., the European Union Regulation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals, was adopted by the European Parliament in December 2006. REACH entered directly into EU Member State National law on June 1, 2007. The regulation is one of the most complex and far-reaching pieces of legislation ever implemented in Europe and will be phased in over an 11-year period. The aim of REACH is to protect human health and the environment from potential risks derived from the use of chemicals. The adoption of REACH reverses the responsibility for the testing and risk assessment of chemicals from national authorities to manufacturers, importers, and end users of chemicals. The new regulation will have a significant financial impact on the European chemical industry and its downstream users. Various impact studies have already demonstrated such effects. However, while accepting that all actors in the supply chain, including the oil industry sector, will be affected to some extent, a proactive approach to the challenge and early readiness has been followed by this company while it concentrated on improving the health and safety properties of marketed chemicals. From a continued commitment to improving human safety and environmental excellence, this company, a major oilfield service company, set up a global inter-departmental task force in 2005 to prepare for REACH. This task force includes representatives from HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) and PML (Procurement, Materials, Logistics) departments, Research and Development departments and the affected PSLs (product service lines) covering all aspects in a project environment. The resulting strategic plan is discussed in the context of an oilfield service company searching for sustainable solutions. Challenges in procurement practices, complexity of communication channels in oilfield chemical-supply chains, the potential benefits of the new regulation, and data/examples are presented.