Understanding CLP
CLP is legally binding across the Member States of the EU and directly applicable to all industrial sectors. It requires manufacturers, importers or downstream users of substances or mixtures to classify, label and package their hazardous chemicals appropriately before placing them on the market.
The following information from the ECHA website will help to explain this further:
Introductory Guidance on the CLP Regulation
This guidance document has been written to help you to find your way around the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (the CLP Regulation which entered into force on 20 January 2009.
This document has been written for suppliers of substances and mixtures and for those producers or importers of certain specific articles who have to apply the rules for classification, labelling and packaging under the CLP Regulation.
It can be viewed or downloaded via the link below:
CLP Pictograms
A hazard pictogram is an image on a label that includes a warning symbol and specific colours intended to provide information about the damage a particular substance or mixture can cause to our health or the environment.
The CLP Regulation has introduced a new classification and labelling system for hazardous chemicals in the European Union. The pictograms have also changed and are in line with the United Nations Globally Harmonised System.
For more detailed information on these Pictograms please see the link below:
Labelling and Packaging
Once the hazardous properties of a substance or mixture have been identified, they need to be classified accordingly.
Manufacturers, importers, downstream users and distributors, as well as producers and importers of certain specific articles, must communicate the identified hazards to the other actors in the supply chain, including to consumers.
Further guidance on Labelling and packaging can be found on the ECHA website:
Further Guidance on Labelling and Packaging
The following document is relevant for suppliers of chemical substances and mixtures, namely for:
- manufacturers and importers of substances
- importers of mixtures
- downstream users of substances and mixtures, including formulators
- distributors of substances and mixtures, including retailers
This document can be downloaded from the ECHA website via the following link: