Complying with REACH is going to be like preparing for the Millennium or changing to the euro. It will be a turbulent period as the REACH directive is phased in over a total of 11 years, forcing the industries concerned (and that means nearly everyone) to acquire ways of managing this wide-reaching programme with new tools.

DDS Logistics is among the first to offer importers a REACH-compatible tracking solution

DDS Logistics has upgraded the sourcing and referencing modules of DDS Shipper with new functions, allowing importers who use it to track chemical substances as required by REACH regulations, now in force in the European Community.

Quick reminder

The new REACH regulation (for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemical substances) requires that companies dealing in chemical substances in Europe (both producers and importers) evaluate and register some 30,000 chemical substances that could be harmful to human health and the environment.

Since one of the principles behind REACH is to make manufacturers (or importers) responsible for proving that a chemical substance can be used safely, companies will have to register substances and provide information about their characteristics and uses. Manufacturers also have an absolute obligation to obtain information from their customers on how substances are used, and then evaluate the possible dangers to health and the environment. REACH does not only concern the chemical industry but also metallurgy, surface coatings, fast-moving consumer goods, microelectronics, paints, maintenance, garages and so on. Chemistry is everywhere!