Understanding the SCIP database and its objectives.

The Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database is a database built by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) for storing information on how to safely use substances of very high concern (SVHC). When a company supplies an article with a concentration above 0.1% w/w, the substance is listed as a candidate list and it is a substance of high concern, it should notify ECHA via the SCIP database. These regulations are put in place for supplies or substances entering the EU market. SCIP works close with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical (REACH), which places requirements that should be met and reported by companies to it about the substances of high concern. Enviropass SCIP database provides information about an article and how it can be properly used and disposed of.

The objectives of the SCIP database.

The main aim of the SCIP database is to keep operators, suppliers, and consumers informed about the hazardous substances present in the substances of high concern. This will help manufacturers ‘clean’ them before recycling or re-using them in the production of new articles.

The transparency provided by the SCIP database ensures that consumers make the right choice before buying a product in accordance with the information they gain from the SCIP database. They will gain information on how to use and dispose of these articles.

ECHA has grouped the main goals into three which are.

•  They demand substitution of the Substances of high concern entering the EU market to decrease wastes that contained in hazardous substances.
• Work to increase transparency into product composition which will improve the waste treatment operation.
• Monitoring of SVHC use in articles.

Who needs to submit information on the SCIP database?

Anyone supplying articles in the European Union market is entitled to submission of notifications to the SCIP database. These suppliers of articles include:

1. Producers and assemblers in EU.
2. Anyone importing articles to EU.
3. The distributors of articles and other actors who place articles in the market in the EU.

People who link manufacturers of articles and consumers like retailers and other actors who directly supply articles to consumers are not covered by the obligation to submit these notifications to ECHA.

What information is needed in the SCIP database?

In 2019 ECHA clearly published information required on the SCIP database. The database requires the suppliers to provide:

• Information showing identification of the article, a picture, and the article’s characteristics.
• The article’s name, its concentration range, and the location of the SVHC present.
• Information on how to safely use the article.