Page 156 - CW E-Magazine (31-10-2023)

News from Abroad

SQUEEZED OUT

Bulgarian lavender oil producers concerned over

proposed EU labelling requirements

Lavender oil makers in Bulgaria – Commission’s proposal to clarify the
the world’s top producer – are a wor- classifi cation and labelling of substanc-
ried lot. With a global production glut es under CLP, particularly for online
already weighing on prices, Bulgarian sales, is due to be put to a plenary vote
distillers now fear new European Union in October.
(EU) regulations will further crimp
business. The law could require warn- The move from a risk to a haz-
ing labels on products made with laven- ard-based assessment of chemicals
der oil, which reportedly can cause would mean regulators can label a sub-
allergic reactions for some people. stance as dangerous for its properties
While the EU has offered to pause the From the famous lavender fi elds based on the material’s hypothetical
implementation of the bloc’s revised surrounding Zelenikovo in central Bul- characteristics rather than real-world
regulations restricting harmful chemi- garia to France’s Provence, producers exposure to harm. Policymakers will be
cal substances, the clock is ticking. and farmers have teamed up to defend able to introduce severe warning labels
their product against what they see as or prevent a product from entering the
In a report by the French news unfair laws. Other major producers market if just one of its molecules could
agency, AFP, Mr. Nikolay Nenkov, head of include China, Moldova and Greece. be dangerous based on hypothetical as-
Galen-N distillery – one of the biggest sessments under controlled laboratory
in Bulgaria – expressed concerns over Across the EU, essential oils are setups.
the fact that he will soon have to affi x regulated by two main chemical laws,
health warning labels featuring off-put- REACH and CLP. The upcoming re- Faced with the producers’ resist-
ting slogans to his vials of lavender vision of both laws seeks to provide ance, the EU Council has proposed a
oil. “We fear that such measures will consumers and companies with better four-year exemption from the entry into
lower consumption, curb production information about the possible exist- force of the text. “The problem has not
and (thus) the sector might disappear in ence of endocrine disruptors and com- been solved, but this postponement is
some regions, which is very bad con- ponents that cause cancer or allergic a big step forward,” said Mr. Nenkov.
sidering it’s a long-standing tradition,” reactions in products.
he said. In a bid to allay the concerns of ma-
The review of REACH – which jor European producers, the European
In an industry already reeling from deals with the registration, evalua- Commission has stressed that it “has no
low prices, labour shortages, climate tion, authorisation and restriction of plans to start requiring an analysis of
change and pests, the planned revisions chemicals – has been postponed until each molecule in essential oils” or “to
would “create further tension”, he added. the fourth quarter of 2023, but the EU ban” them, a spokesperson told AFP.

PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY
SK Chemicals, Estée Lauder partner to use recycled

raw materials

South Korea’s SK Chemicals is a letter of intent (LoI) regarding the recycled materials, and Ecozen Claro,
seeking to ensure sustainability in the supply of circular recycling solutions. which can be incorporated into a re-
cosmetics container market through cycle stream. ELCs will develop packag-
a partnership with global cosmetics Under the agreement, SK Chemicals ing utilising the materials supplied by
brand, The Estée Lauder Companies will supply Ecotria CR and Skypet SK Chemicals. In advanced recycling
(ELCs). The two companies have inked CR, which incorporate advanced waste plastic is chemically decomposed

156 Chemical Weekly October 31, 2023

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