EU REACH Regulation

The Enterprise Europe Network informs:
05/11/2023

Lead may no longer be used in products made of PVC, and lead-containing PVC products may no longer be marketed in the EU in the future. The European Commission issued corresponding requirements today, thus strengthening the protection of people and the environment. This means that the same conditions now apply to PVC articles manufactured in the EU, in which the industry has not used lead since 2015, and imported articles.

Lead compounds are found in particular in the construction industry in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, for example in window profiles, pipes, hoses and cables. The restriction was adopted as part of the EU's REACH chemicals regulation. It is expected to prevent up to 8.4 tons of lead emissions per year, bringing significant benefits in terms of better health protection, especially for children.

Articles containing recycled rigid PVC that may still contain lead from old waste can still be sold and used for some time to promote safe recycling and save 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. However, these items must be fully coated with a lead-free layer to protect people and the environment from accidental lead exposure.

The Commission had submitted the proposal for the restriction now enacted in December 2022, and the review period for the European Parliament and the Council of EU states expired in March 2023.

For more information on the REACH regulation, please click here .

Source: European Commission