SMEs complain: The money earned is not enough for testing

Recently, the European Union issued the new regulations for the "Registration, Evaluation, Licensing and Restriction of Chemicals" (REACH), and any substances that have been included in the SVHC exceed the standard must be before June 1st and June 15th, 2011. , Informed to the European Chemicals Agency in batches that the products not notified will not enter the EU market.

These "substances of great concern" include 46 substances such as phthalates and arsenic pentaoxide. According to the new regulations of REACH, if goods exported to the European Union contain more than 0.1% of substances of very high concern, and the substances enter every year. The EU market totals more than one ton, and manufacturers or importers need to inform the European Chemicals Agency. Of the 46 substances, 38 have to be notified before June 1 this year, and 8 more must be notified before June 15.

In this way, it means that all downstream companies that use these substances of high concern must immediately “self-check” the products and find out if their contents exceed the standards, otherwise the products will be recalled and the whole industry will be affected.

Liu Hongbin, director of the REACH Service Center of the Jiangsu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association, said that as the major export products of Jiangsu Province, garments and textiles, footwear, toys, plastic products and other industries must pay special attention to the apparel dyes, shoe adhesives, and plastic products. Chemicals are added internally, and companies must test their products as soon as possible.

In recent years, the EU has always been Jiangsu's largest trading partner and the largest export market. During the interview, the reporter found that many large export companies had some understanding of the new REACH regulations and adopted corresponding countermeasures. A staff member responsible for the export of toys and garments from Jiangsu Dongheng Group Import & Export Co., Ltd. said that they have been paying close attention to the latest developments of REACH regulations and carried out relevant training. “We export EU products within the scope of regulations. He told reporters that in recent years, international trade has experienced frequent technical barriers, and some companies have imported testing equipment from abroad and set up a testing center. They strictly check before production to avoid unnecessary losses.

In contrast, SMEs rarely take the initiative to conduct tests. “We mainly deal with processing exports. The profits were only a few thin points. The fabrics, accessories used, and even the buttons and zippers were all bought. If these were to be tested one by one, it would be worthwhile to export a batch of clothing. The fee is a few tens of thousands, and as many as several hundred thousand, a list of money earned is not enough to do the test." Relevant person in charge of a small garment foreign trade company in Nanjing said that they are considering giving up the EU market and developing some other countries customer of.

In response to this situation, Liu Hongbin’s tactics said that downstream companies should select standardized suppliers and require them to provide test reports on their chemical composition. Upstream and downstream companies can also form alliances within the industry to share test costs.

Explanation of Terms REACH Regulations REACH Regulations are EU regulations for the preventive management of all chemicals that enter the market, and were formally implemented on June 1, 2007. This regulation requires the preventive management of all chemicals that enter its market. Chemicals must be registered, evaluated and other procedures before they can be admitted. It is called the biggest technical barrier that China has encountered in international trade.

It is reported that at present, nearly 100 relevant enterprises in Jiangsu Province have entrusted the REACH Service Center of the Jiangsu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association with pre-registration, and four companies have officially registered. For the chemical raw materials registered in the catalog, if the annual export volume reaches a certain scale, if the registration is not completed within the limited time, the related companies can no longer export even 1 gram of products to the EU. Therefore, the "destructive power" of this provision should not be underestimated.