The European Commission proposed, on Friday 28 April, simplified, clearer and digital rules for detergents.
The proposal for a regulation on detergents and surfactants, amending regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing regulation (EC) No 648/2004, aims to simplify and make more permanent the current rules in order to better protect health and the environment and ensure a better functioning of the single market for detergents, according to the Commission.
According to the Commission, one of the aims of the proposal is to simplify the market rules by removing a number of unnecessary or superfluous requirements, but also to make the labels more understandable.
The text also introduces voluntary digital labelling, with a distinction between pre-packaged products and products sold as refills. Clear rules will also be introduced for refillable detergents, which will be subject to the same rules as prepackaged detergents.
In addition, the proposal promotes, according to the Commission, sales of innovative safe products by introducing safety requirements for micro-organisms in detergents and the obligation for manufacturers to mention their presence.
Finally, the introduction of a product passport will strengthen market surveillance and ensure that only safe detergents that comply with European rules enter the single market. The reference to the product passport will have to be included in a central Commission register and declared to the customs authorities.
The Commission’s proposal for a revised detergents regulation will be submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council for approval under the ordinary legislative procedure.
The detergents industry accounted for around 4.2% of the production value of the entire chemical sector in 2018. The total market value of the European detergent industry in 2020 was €41.2 billion.
See the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/6m9 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)