EUROPEAN
COMMISSION

Brussels, 14.10.2020
COM(2020) 667 final
ANNEX

ANNEX
to theCOMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEANPARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIALCOMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability
Towards a Toxic-Free Environment{SWD(2020) 225 final} - {SWD(2020) 247 final} - {SWD(2020) 248 final} {SWD(2020) 249 final} - {SWD(2020) 250 final} - {SWD(2020) 251 final}

ENEN

ACTION PLAN
The measures presented in this action plan, , including legislative proposals and targetedamendments to REACH, will all need to be carried out in line with the better regulation
principles and subject to evaluations and impact assessments as appropriate.
Key actions to be taken by the Commission
EU legislation
Set up a high level roundtable with the purposeof promoting efficiency and effectiveness ofchemicals legislation, boosting development
and uptake of innovative safe and sustainablechemicals, and monitoring the impact of theStrategy’s actions.
Innovating for safe and sustainable EU chemicals
Develop EU safe and sustainable-by-design
criteria for chemicals
Establish an EU-wide safe and sustainable-bydesign support network
Financial support for the development,commercialisation, deployment and uptake ofsafe and sustainable-by-design substances,materials and products
Mapping safe and sustainable-by-design skills
mismatches and competence gaps, and makerecommendations
Establish Key Performance Indicators tomeasure the industrial transition towards theproduction of safe and sustainable chemicals
Introduce legal requirements on the presence of (Upcoming) Sustainable products
substances of concern in products, including initiative
PFAS, through the initiative on sustainableproducts
Initiatives and funding to promote thedevelopment of green and smart technologies,
advanced materials, and innovative businessmodels for the low-carbon and low
environmental impact industrial production anduse of chemicals
Access to risk finance, in particular for SMEs
and start-ups
Make amendments to the EU legislation on Industrial emissions Directive
industrial emissions to promote the use of safer
chemicals by EU industry
Identify key value chains and dependencies
where chemicals are important building blocks
and engage with stakeholders to increase theEU’s strategic foresight on chemicals
Promote interregional collaboration alongsustainable chemicals value chains, throughsmart specialisation, to accelerate thedevelopment of joint investment projects
1Indicative timing
2021

2022
2023
As of 2021

2021

2021

2021-2022

As of 2021

As of 2021
2021 EAs of 2021

As of 2021

Support up- and reskilling of the workforce forthe digital and green transition
Stronger EU legal framework to address pressing environmental and health concerns
Roadmap to prioritise carcinogenic, mutagenic REACH (Comitology)
and reprotoxic substances (CMRs), endocrine
disruptors, persistent, bioaccumulative andtoxic (PBT and very persistent and very
bioaccumulative(vPvB)
substances,immunotoxicants, neurotoxicants, substances
toxic to specific organs and respiratory
sensitisers for (group) restrictions underREACH
Proposals to extend the generic approach to risk REACH Article 68(2)management to ensure that consumer products
do not contain chemicals that cause cancers, Food Contact Materials Regulation
gene mutations, affect the reproductive or theendocrine system, or are persistent and Cosmetic Products Regulation
bioaccumulative and toxic; assess themodalities and timing to extend the same Toy Safety Directive
approach to further chemicals including thoseaffecting the immune, neurological or Legislative route for other consumer
respiratory systems and chemicals toxic to a products (e.g. detergents) to be
specific organ
identified by the impact assessment
Proposal to amend REACH Article 68(2) to REACH
include professional users
Introduce mandatory legal requirements under REACH (Comitology)
the General Product Safety Directive andrestrictions in REACH to enhance the safety ofchildren from hazardous chemicals in childcare General Product Safety Directive
articles and other products for children (otherthan toys)
In the process of the upcoming Strategic Strategic Framework for Health andFramework for Health and Safety at work, Safety at work
define further priorities for addressing workers’
exposure to hazardous substances, including byidentifying most harmful substances for which
the Commission will propose to set
occupational limit following the establishedconsultation process in the area of health andsafety at work
In consultation with social partners, strengthen Chemical Agents Directive, Asbestos
protection of workers, notably by proposing at Work Directive
lowering existing occupational limit values forlead and asbestos as well as establishing abinding limit value for di-isocyanates
Define criteria for essential uses, taking into
account the definition of the Montreal Protocol
Proposal to amend the CLP Regulation to CLP Regulation
2As of 2020

2021

2022
2022
2022
2022

2022
2022

2021

2021

2022

2021-222021

introduce new hazard classes on endocrine
disruptors, PBTs/vPvBs and persistent andmobile substances, and apply them across all
legislation
Update information requirements to allow theidentification of endocrine disruptors in
relevant legislation, particularly under REACH,
legislation on cosmetic products, food contactmaterials, plant protection products andbiocidal products

Assess how best and introduce (a) mixture
assessment factor(s) in Annex I of REACH
Introduce or reinforce provisions to takeaccount of the combination effects of chemicals
in water, food contact materials, food additives,
toys, detergents, cosmetics

REACH (Comitology)

2022

Biocidal Products Regulation(Annexes)

2021

Plant Protection Products Regulation(Commission Communications)

2021

Food Contact Materials Regulation

2022

Cosmetic Products Regulation
REACH (Comitology)

2022
2022Environmental Quality Standards
Directive/Ground Water Directive(Annexes)

2022

Food contact materials Regulation

2022

Food additives Commission Regulation(Comitology)

2022

Detergents Regulation

2022

Toy Safety Directive2022

Cosmetic Products Regulation
Proposal to amend REACH Article 57 to add REACH
endocrine disruptors, persistent, mobile andtoxic (PMT) and very persistent and very
mobile (vPvM) substances to the list ofsubstances of very high concern
Proposal to restrict PFAS under REACH for all REACH (Comitology)
non-essential uses including in consumer
products
Review of the annexes of the Environmental Environmental Quality Standards
Quality Standards Directive and of the Directive/Groundwater Directive
Groundwater Directive to add PFAS where (Annexes)
possible as a group
Address the presence of PFAS in food by Food Contaminants Commission
introducing limits in the legislation on food Regulation
contaminants(Comitology)
Proposal to revise the legislation on industrial Industrial emissions Directiveemissions and the European Pollutant Release
32022
2022

2022-24

2022

2022

2021

and Transfer Register to address emissions andreporting of PFAS from industrial plants
Proposal to address the emissions of PFAS Sewage Sludge Directivefrom the waste stage including through therevision of the legislation on sewage sludge
Proposals under the Stockholm Convention andthe Basel Convention to address PFAS
concerns at a global scale
EU-wide approach and financial support for
innovative solutions to remediate contamination
with PFAS
Simplification and consolidation of the legal framework
Establishment of a ‘One substance, one
assessment’ process to coordinate thehazard/risk assessment on chemicals acrosschemical legislation, through the use of a single
Public Authorities Coordination Tool, an expert
group and a Commission coordinationmechanism
Horizontal proposal for reallocation of EU
technical and scientific work on chemicals tothe EU agencies
Proposal for a founding regulation for theEuropean Chemicals Agency
Proposal to amend CLP Regulation to give the CLP Regulation
Commission the mandate to initiate harmonisedclassification
Review of the definition of nanomaterial
Proposal to revise the REACH authorisation REACH
and restriction processes
Establishment of a EU repository of human andenvironmental health-based limit values
Establishment of an open platform on chemicalsafety data and tools for accessing relevant
academic data
Horizontal proposal to remove legislative
obstacles for re-use of data, to streamline thedata flow across legislation and to extend theopen data and transparency principles from theEU food safety sector to other pieces ofchemical legislation
Proposals to allow EU and national authorities
to commission testing and monitoring ofsubstances as part of the regulatory framework
Development of an indicator framework on
chemicals
Proposal to amend REACH to introduce a REACH
42023

2023-2024

As of 2020

As of 2021

2022

2023
2021

2021
2022
2022
2023

2023

2023

2024
2022

European Audit CapacityAmend REACH to ensure compliance checks REACH
on all registrations of substances under REACH
and to allow for the revocation of registration
numbers
Proposal to extend OLAF’s scope of action toinvestigations on the circulation of illicit
chemical products in the EU
Proposals for implementing acts under the Market Surveillance Regulation
Market Surveillance Regulation to set uniform
conditions and frequency of checks for certain
products
Providing a comprehensive and transparent knowledge base on chemicals
Proposals to revise requirements for registration REACH
in REACH to ensure: the identification ofsubstances with critical hazard properties,
including effects on the nervous and immune
systems, the move towards grouping
approaches, the registration of a sub-set ofpolymers, information on the overall
environmental footprint of chemicals, theobligation of chemical safety reports for
substances between 1-10 tonnes
Develop a strategic research and innovation
agenda for chemicals
Fund EU-wide human and environmental(bio)monitoring
Establish an EU Chemical Early Warning andAction System
Provide a model inspiring chemicals management globally
Initiatives with international organisations andindustry to promote the use of the UN GHS
internationally
Proposal at the UN GHS level to introduce,
adapt or clarify criteria/hazard classes in linewith the CLP Regulation
Support, in particular through funding, to build
the capacity of third countries to assess andmanage chemicals
Ensure that hazardous chemicals banned in theEuropean Union are not produced for export
including by amending relevant legislation ifand as needed.
Promote due diligence in the sustainableproduction and use of chemicals in the future
initiative on sustainable corporate governance

52022

2022

2022-232022

2022
As of 20202023

As of 20202022-24

2020-2022

2023

2020-2024