Canada Begins Mandatory Survey of 1500 substances for 2017 Inventory Update

As part of the 2017 Inventory Update (IU), the Government of Canada has issued a Notice under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999), calling for manufacturers and importers to provide information on roughly 1500 chemicals and polymers. The survey calls for information on the commercial status of the substances, as well as data on downstream use and yearly market fluctuations.

The Notice requires all manufacturers and importers, who have imported more than 100kg of any of the listed substances, either alone or at a concentration greater than 0.1% in a mixture or a product in 2014 and/or 2015, to provide specified data by July 17, 2017. Information can be submitted using the online reporting system available through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Single Window.

Listed substances include prescribed forms of:
• Pigments
• Solvents
• Plasticizers / Phthalates
• Flame Retardant Synergist
• Monomers

The mandatory survey requires stakeholders to provide:
• CAS number
• Quantity
• Applicable substance function codes
• Applicable consumer and commercial codes etc.
• Applicable six-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code

Stakeholders must respond to the survey if their products match any of the following category descriptions:

• Intended to be used by children under the age of 6 years
• Intended to come into contact with the mucosa of an individual, other than eyes
• Cookware, or cooking or serving utensils that is intended to come into direct contact with heated food within a residence, unless the component that comes into direct contact with heated food is made of glass, stainless steel or porcelain
• Food packaging that is intended to come into direct contact with food, unless the component that comes into direct contact with food is made of glass, stainless steel or porcelain
• Reusable food or beverage containers, unless the component that comes into direct contact with the food or beverage is made of glass, stainless steel or porcelain
• Items intended to release the substance during conditions of use such that the substance may be inhaled or come into dermal contact with an individual
• Clothing and footwear
• Bedding, sleeping bags and towels
• Furniture, mattresses, cushions or pillows intended to be used in a residence, where the substance is contained in foam, leather or in a textile fiber, yarn or fabric
• Carpets, rugs and types of flooring (including foam underlays) intended to be used in a residence

The CEPA was enacted to assess and manage the types and quantities of substances that can enter the Canadian environment. It is designed to help protect both the environment and the health of Canadians by reducing exposure to toxic chemicals.

The CEPA systematically reviews substances on the Domestic Substance List (DSL) via the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP). The information gathered during these surveys assists the government in setting priorities with regards to risk assessment and risk managements programs administered by ECCC and Health Canada.

Published on January 14, 2017, the Notice is split into three schedules: the first is a complete list of substances being surveyed; the second provides details of “persons required to provide information”; and the third schedule looks at the information reporting requirements. Schedule 3 also defines ‘manufacture’, ‘manufactured item’, ‘mixture’, and ‘product’.

To see a full list of substances, along with details on the data required, look at the relevant issue of the Canada Gazette. (www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2017/2017-01-14/pdf/g1-15102.pdf)

SGS Consumer Products Services
Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provide a range of services, including analytical testing and consultancy for flame retardants in consumer products for the US and international markets. Learn more about SGS’s Consumer Products Services (www.sgs.com/en/consumer-goods-retail)

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Canada Releases Domestic Substances List Inventory Update 2017 SafeGuardS. (www.sgs.com/en/news/2017/04/safeguards-06817-canada-releases-domestic-substances-list-inventory-update-2017)

Subscribe here, www.sgs.com/subscribesg, to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Louann Spirito
Director Technical Support, Softlines
Tel: +1 973 461 7919
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/softlines

About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 90,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

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This release was published on openPR.