SPORT is a pilot project conducted in partnership by the European Commission, the Member States and industry in order to test the feasibility of the substance registration and dossier evaluation phases of the REACH proposal. Under the REACH reform, companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances in quantities of one tonne or more per year will be required to register such substances to demonstrate that they can be used safely.

The partners in the SPORT pilot test have agreed a list of recommendations useful for REACH Implementation Projects (RIPs), which are aimed at drawing up guidelines for implementation of the reform.

The main lessons learnt by the ETUC from the SPORT project are as follows:

 More than two years before REACH enters into force, in a very short space of time and without having any implementation guidance or tools, industry has proved itself capable of supplying registration dossiers and the Member States have been able to evaluate them satisfactorily;

 It will be possible to use the partners’ recommendations to clarify and fine-tune the text of the existing proposal, but the recommendations in no way justify making significant changes either to industry’s obligations or to the scope of the reform, as is being demanded by CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council) and other industry associations;

 The paradigm shift inherent in REACH, i.e. an acceptance of the changed roles and responsibilities needed for the reform, especially in respect of communication up and down the supply chain, has not yet taken place in the chemicals industry. Industry associations must prepare their members before REACH enters into force.

The ETUC reiterates its attachment to the principle of shifting the burden of proof to industry and supports the volume-based approach during the registration phase, as is currently provided for in the Commission’s text. This principle would be distorted if the volume-based approach were to be altered.

Over and above the SPORT pilot, which has established that REACH is indeed workable, the KPMG impact study (published in May) demonstrates that the costs engendered by REACH are perfectly affordable. The ETUC therefore calls for the reform of Europe’s chemicals legislation to be pursued and adopted as soon as possible.

It calls on the European Parliament and the Council to take account of its opinions and of the resulting amendments, proposed with a view to optimising the anticipated cost-benefit ratio, particularly in terms of worker health and safety.

The ETUC will continue to monitor the REACH process and will do its utmost to ensure that REACH contributes to the building of a socially responsible Europe that is anxious to develop an efficient labour market with large numbers of high-quality jobs.


* The SPORT project (Strategic Partnership on REACH Testing) involved 29 companies producing chemicals, 9 Member States and 25 companies using chemicals. Eight substances or substance groups, totalling 50 or so substances, were studied.

More info about REACH on our H&S pages: http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/dossiers/dossier.asp?dos_pk=1