SCIP & EU Regulation
It is easy to think of the SCIP database as a regulation in and of itself, however, it was mandated in 2018 by the revised EU WFD. Companies manufacturing, importing, or distributing into the EU have legal requirements to report to the SCIP database by January 5, 2021. The enforcement of these requirements is largely held to be deployed under the EU Market Surveillance Regulation (MSR). The EU has signaled a digital transformation with regard to its regulations, including how those regulations are enforced. A €750 billion COVID-19 recovery package designated that at least 20 percent of the funds must be used to promote the adoption of technology across the EU. More funds were directed to be used for industrial stability, sustainability, and enforcement. The intention behind the database is to ensure information on articles containing SVHCs is made available throughout the whole lifecycle of products and materials. As such, waste operators, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and consumers will be able to use a public-facing portal to search the database as of February 2021. While non-compliant companies will be at risk of operational and financial harm such as product recalls or heavy fines, the transparency this function affords could result in reputational damage. Compliance may not be a balm to soothe this risk either, as brands with a large number of SVHCs in their supply chains, although compliant with the regulation, may be viewed unfavorably by consumers or interest groups. The phasing out of harmful substances is a main goal of several EU regulations. These have been targeted to use a single assessment method, as defined in the EU Chemical Sustainability Strategy. The strategy is part of the EU Green Deal, a comprehensive commitment to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It proposes a new method for identifying SVHCs, enhanced enforcement, and promotes moving away from hazardous materials.