Organised by IFRA and PRODAROM (the French Fragrance Association), the roundtable updates on the search for pragmatic solutions for the registration of essential oils, particularly Lavender in the context of REACH.
The search was initiated by the Commission and ECHA in April 2014 in partnership with stakeholder experts.
This has led to significant advances including the characterization of essential oils for the agricultural sector to specifically address the 2018 REACH registrations with minimum disruption to the sector.
At the previous roundtable earlier in the year, IFRA promised the issue of the characterization of essential oils specifically was to be resolved before the summer, and now says that this latest announcement is of significant importance to the several hundred SMEs operating in this industry sector and especially producers of lavender.
“This third round table is the result of the intensive work by stakeholders in recent months to analyze the regulatory texts, finding realistic approaches to facilitating registration,” says the Fragrance organisation.
“The constant dialogue and mutual respect throughout the process has enabled solutions to be found without compromising the very essence of REACH, the most advanced chemical regulatory system in the world, to protect consumer health and the environment.”
Support
Representatives of the industrial and agricultural sectors unanimously welcomed the commitment of the Commission and ECHA who, IFRA says have shown commitment to finding a practical framework for an economic sector often neglected and left alone to face admittedly useful but complex regulation.
Robert Tessier was appointed head of mission by the French Minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, with the aim of supporting the perfume, aromatics and medicinal (MAPP) sector in the implementation of European regulations.
His involvement has been instrumental in creating trust and cooperation required from the economic sector as a whole and also demonstrates the support of the French government, says IFRA.
The roundtable has been well received by the industry and there have been calls for this model of dialogue to become well established in the future in order to approach other issues involving the agricultural sector and small business in general.
Such an approach could be replicated for other major regulatory initiatives, involving jointly Member States and the European Institutions.