EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation

CLP Regulation is European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on chemical substances and mixtures’ classification, labelling and packaging. It entered into force on 20 January 2009 and applies throughout the European Union and in the countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). It is based on the international classification criteria of the UN Globally Harmonised System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), which are transposed into EU law.

This EU legislation is binding to manufacturers, importers, downstream users, and distributors placing substances on the European Union market. According to the CLP Regulation, the industry has to characterize the hazards of substances and mixtures before they are placed on the market and classify them according to the hazards identified. If a substance or mixture is hazardous, it should be labelled so that workers and users in the European Union know the possible effects of exposure before they come into contact with it.

Applying this process, awareness of the potential hazards of chemicals is noted on labels, which include signal words and hazard pictograms, and SDS Safety Data Sheets with the standard phrases and pictograms indicating the type of hazard in question and how to prevent it as well as how to store and dispose of substances for each hazard class and category. This draws users’ attention to potential risks and the need to manage the associated risks.

The CLP also establishes common packaging standards to help ensure the safe delivery of chemicals. The regulation is also the legal basis for much of the legislation relating to chemicals risk management.

One of the key objectives of operating the rules introduced by the CLP Regulation is to determine whether a given chemical or mixture has properties that qualify it as hazardous. When this criterion is met, it should be appropriately classified based on the information collected, such as toxicological data. If the substance or mixture fulfills the conditions of this classification, the next step is to evaluate the class and category of hazards associated with it. These classes divide the hazards into physical, health, environmental, and other. In 2023, the following new hazard classes include:

• Endocrine disruption for human health
• Endocrine disruption for the environment
• PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic), vPvB (very persistent, very bioaccumulative)
• PMT (persistent, mobile, toxic), vPvM (very persistent, very mobile)

The regulation includes new label elements, appropriate EU Hazard (EUH) phrases, and classification limits for mixtures. While these new categories have not been adopted into the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), they have been brought up for consideration in the 2023 to 2024 biennium by the EU.

CLP applies to most chemicals entering the EU’s industrial, professional and consumer markets, including those supplied in very small quantities. However, some chemical products are excluded from this rule – for example, finished cosmetics and medicines.

The CLP Regulation also provides several procedures to ensure a uniform approach to using hazardous chemicals or mixtures that contribute to protecting human health and the environment.

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