Chemicals
To produce steel there is a need for raw materials in the form of iron ore, coal, lime (slag formers) alloy metals as well as fossil fuels. Other chemical products used are gases, oils and acids (in pickling of steel surfaces).
The steel industry actively monitors and - to a certain extent - influences the development of national and European chemicals legislation.
REACH – EU’s Chemical Regulation
Chemical issues at present are dominated by the EU’s Regulation on Chemicals Management, REACH (Regi¬stration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals) that entered into force in June 2007. The Regulation implies that all chemical substances that are produced and marketed (>1 tonne/year) must undergo risk assessment. For the steel and metals industry it is the raw materials e.g. alloying materials that are mainly affected by this Regulation.
Collaboration between companies within Europe
Sweden’s steel companies work intensively on preparing documentary material for the REACH registration and attempt, as far as possible, to co-ordinate this work with other European steel companies. The collaboration takes place e.g. through Eurofer, the representative organisation for the European steel industry. This may, for instance, involve interpreting the Regulation correctly in order to apply it to steel industry matters (e.g. iron pellets, sinter, alloys, or what applies in demarcation between products and preparations). The Nordic steel industry also collaborates with the European steel industry in respect of the registration of steel slag.
Certain exemptions in the Regulation
Waste is not covered by the REACH Regulation. Exemptions from registration include at present ore and ore concentrate, process gases, coal and coke but iron is not exempted from the Regulation.
Our standpoints concerning REACH
- Application of REACH in Sweden should, as far as possible, be harmonised with that of other member counties and not entail more stringent demands than for other member countries.
- Regulatory reform [simplification] concept should also be applied to REACH
- REACH shall lead to actual environmental improvements e.g. in the form of safer chemicals handling and not to a duplication of the workload and unreasonable costs for our trade and industry.
