Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

A series of EPDs covering Plasticising and Superplasticising admixtures, Accelerators, Retarders, Air Entrainers and Waterproofers is available for free download on the Publications page of this EFCA website. EPDs enable producers of construction materials to carry out 'Life Cycle Analysis and Assessment' on new structures.

Conducting a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of concrete shows that admixture use will generally reduce the environmental impact and improve the properties of the concrete in the structure, making it more sustainable as a construction material.

REACH

EFCA has been working with the European Concrete Platform to produce a short position document CONCRETE AND REACH to summarise the position of concrete under the REACH legislation. It is intended for users, contractors, specifiers, national and local authorities, as well as producers.

Additionally the EFCA environmental Committee has produced an INFORMATION DOCUMENT – ADMIXTURES AND REACH which details the REACH processes and both available to download from our Publications page.

REACH Guidelines are also available from our French ( http://www.synad.fr/ ) and German ( http://www.deutsche-bauchemie.com ) National Associations.

What is REACH?

With the objective of protecting human health and the environment, REACH is a European regulation designed to ensure the safe supply and use of chemical substances. Industry itself becomes legally responsible for managing the risk of chemicals.

REACH means the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. Under it, three categories of product are identified:

• substances – single chemicals;
• preparations – mixtures of substances;
• articles – where substances are contained in objects.

All chemical substances which are not exempted from registration in annex IV or V of REACH have to be registered with the new European Chemicals Agency.  Registration requires manufacturers and importers of substances to submit information in a standardised format to demonstrate that they know about the most important properties of their chemicals, and that they are managing the hazards and risks adequately. Neither preparations nor articles have to be registered, though SDSs may be necessary if they meet the classification criteria as dangerous.

Special requirements apply to ‘Substances of very high concern’ (SVHC), which require specific authorisation by the Chemicals Agency.
To minimise any risk in the use of chemicals, REACH attaches great importance to communication of information up and down the supply chain:

• safety data sheets for both substances and preparations are used to communicate information down the supply chain. REACH has set out a standard format for SDSs.
• users of chemicals have to make sure that their suppliers, up the supply chain, are aware of how the chemicals are being used.

How will the admixture industry comply with REACH?

• admixture producers will ensure that all substances they use are registered, and that their suppliers comply properly with REACH requirements;
• they will ensure that their own use of chemicals is in compliance with suppliers’ Safety Data Sheets;
• they will communicate information both upstream to suppliers of raw materials, and downstream, to customers;
• upstream, they will provide their suppliers with information on how they use substances and preparations, so that suppliers’ advice on ‘exposure scenarios’ and on the use of the substance is comprehensive, and, in particular, includes the ways in which the concrete producer actually makes use of the chemical. A series of Use Reports (UseR) is available to aid communication upstream - see below;
• downstream they will continue to provide SDS for their own customers, with details of the sensible measures needed to ensure safe use of concrete on site;
• they will also communicate necessary information to their own employees to ensure safe practice.

Most admixtures will be classified as preparations under REACH and admixture producers will be downstream users.

Admixture manufacturers are working with their chemical suppliers on the new legislation and there is no current reason to believe that any admixtures will need to be withdrawn as a result of REACH.

The main change for users will be an enhanced Safety Data Sheet. A small number of admixtures may need to be registered but it is very unlikely that they will require authorisation as they are generally not hazardous.

Use Reports (UseR)

EFCA and Deutsche Bauchemie eV have co-operated to produce a series of USE REPORT TABLES (UseR) for ADMIXTURES using the same format as the formulation and end-use of Construction Chemicals.

The Use Reports "UseR-CC" are intended to primarily fulfil two tasks:

Serve as a source of information for substance manufacturers and importers, who want to prepare exposure scenarios for substances intended for use in the construction chemical industry.

Serve as a source of information for formulators of construction chemical products, who want to inform their suppliers "in REACH speak" about their uses. The tables also support formulators of construction chemical products in the structuring of raw materials used and products manufactured.

The tables provide descriptions of standard uses in the construction chemical industry. They were developed according to the system and format named "UseR", which was agreed at European level.

To cover the formulation of the preparation and the end-use of ADMIXTURE PREPARATIONS it is necessary to combine one at least of the formulation/synthesis scenarios UseR-CC-1-1, UseR-CC-1-2 or UseRCC-2 with the relevant end-use scenarios UseR-CC-5-1 / UseR-CC 6-1 (professional) or UseR-CC-7 / UseR-CC-8 (consumer), ie

CPDW (Construction Products in contact with Drinking Water)

This legislation is under European Commission (EC) Mandate 366 and most of the work is in sub committees of CEN TC 351.

The release of RDS would, for admixtures, only apply to release from hardened concrete in the form of a monolith. EFCA is therefore working with the concrete industry on this legislation through TC 104/WG 14.

WG 14 believes that Concrete poses no risk with respect to release of RDS (note that concrete is frequently used to contain and neutralise RDS). This group is therefore most active on the Without Testing (WT) sub group of TC 351 and is fully involved in drafting the report. EFCA members are also involved in TC 351 through CEPMC and also their national mirror groups.

RDS (Regulated Dangerous Substances)

This legislation is under European Commission (EC) Mandate 366 and most of the work is in sub committees of CEN TC 351.

The release of RDS would, for admixtures, only apply to release from hardened concrete in the form of a monolith. EFCA is therefore working with the concrete industry on this legislation through TC 104/WG 14.

WG 14 believes that Concrete poses no risk with respect to release of RDS (note that concrete is frequently used to contain and neutralise RDS). This group is therefore most active on the Without Testing (WT) sub group of TC 351 and is fully involved in drafting the report. EFCA members are also involved in TC 351 through CEPMC and also their national mirror groups.

The EFCA EQ Seal

Seven EFCA National Associations continue to work within this scheme to show that the products of their members pose no environmental risk and meet all current safety legislation.

Further details of the scheme can be found in a document EFCA EQ Seal, Scheme outline on the Publications page.
 
GHS

Globally Harmonised System for product classification, packaging and labelling.

The European Union are proceeding with the introduction of the GHS and new pictogram labelling of admixtures will start to appear over 2010-2015.