A new environmental regulation is starting to take effect in the EU which has taken commodities traders and bankers by surprise and is making their lives difficult. It’s called REACH – the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
Everyone in the EU involved in the manufacture, import, downstream use or distribution of any of about 30,000 chemical substances is affected. Although the primary targets for this environmental and health protection measure are manufacturers and importers of chemicals, traders of commodities that contain chemicals – such as petroleum products and metals – are only now realising they come within its remit.
