Rubber sector raises Brexit chemicals concerns

Colchester, UK – The British Rubber & Polyurethane Products Association (BRPPA) has voiced its concerns regarding the UK’s provisions for regulation of chemicals in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

The UK government has announced plans to transpose Europe’s REACH legislation into UK law and further cooperate with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) if the situation arises.

However, the chemical and allied industries regard these proposals as “unworkable and unsustainable,” said BRPPA in a 26 March note.

The proposals, argued the association, rely on the “unrealistic assumption that UK companies have ready access to testing data.”

BRPPA added that the provisions could increase animal testing and impose “unsustainable” additional regulatory cost on UK companies.

And, it concluded, the government assumes “that a UK version of REACH can be achieved in just two years – a regime that took the EU and a fully-resourced ECHA ten years to implement.”

Originally set for 29 March, the UK’s formal withdrawal date from the EU has now been postponed to 12 April.