SUPPLY CHAIN TOOL
How to fulfil your duty to know
Producers and importers of articles are facing increasing challenges due to regulatory requirements and customer demands regarding substances in articles. Substances of very high concern (SVHCs) according to the EU REACH Regulation deserve particular attention.
LIFE AskREACH aims to promote substitution of SVHCs in articles along the supply chain by increasing the market demand for SVHC-free articles and by helping industrial actors to identify SVHCs in their articles.
AskREACH promoted a supply chain communication approach increasing the capacity of companies to meet their obligation to inform about SVHCs in articles.
With selected pilot companies, we developed case studies for real articles from various sectors. The project tested a supply chain tool for a material data system provided by iPoint systems.
Pilot companies and their suppliers received free access to the iPoint tool and related training. Suppliers reported material data for the selected articles in the tool.
As a pilot company, you and your suppliers receive free access to the iPoint tool and related training. Your suppliers will report material data for the selected articles in the tool.
The material data system (MDS) allows companies to gather article information from every supplier along the supply chain. Companies can also create Full Material Declarations (FMD) so that suppliers have to report data on all substances present in articles. This way traceability of substances in articles is established.
The purpose of the MDS is to generate a structure tree of all materials present in a certain final article subject to reporting, which is usually a complex object incorporating more than one individual article. The structure follows the different stages in the production process, e.g. from the semi-finished article (plastic sheet), further processed component (after machining and coating), to incorporation in the final article.
MDS enables you to:
- Ensure compliance with REACH and other legislation on substances in articles, taking into account the “once an article, always an article” (O5A) approach
- Prepare for future compliance in the event of regulatory developments
- Reduce product liability risks with FMD documentation
- Proactively manage chemicals used along supply chains to enhance product quality and limit company risk
- Increase transparency, facilitating supplier evaluation and reducing the need for risk-based testing
- Benefit from a reporting standard shared with other sectors, which may increase suppliers’ willingness to provide data
- Secure “green claims” in the communication with consumers and other stakeholders ·
- Support the transition to more sustainable chemistry
