Detail

The general objectives of material and environmental compliance are the protection of human health and the environment as well as sustainability. Science and research are uncovering more and more risks that need to be legally regulated in order to establish a general level of protection for these objectives. The European Union already has a large number of directives and regulations covering various areas.

However, new scientific findings are constantly identifying new threats to the specific protection goals of the respective legal acts. This circumstance explains the many amendments to the legal texts through delegated directives and regulations. Examples of this are 76 amendments to the REACH Regulation and 83 to the RoHS Directive (as of 04/2024). These are summarized in the consolidated versions of the respective legal acts and thus become directly applicable law. At least with regard to regulations. Directives must always be transposed into national law first. This can be done by one or more legal acts of the member states within a specified transposition period. 

There is a discernible trend in the EU for more and more directives to be replaced by regulations or for new issues to be regulated by regulation. One conceivable intention is to strengthen harmonization efforts in the EU and reduce the number of national transpositions.


New material and environmental compliance regulations were recently published in the following areas:

• Batteries
  • Directive 2006/66/EC -> Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
     
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  • Regulation (EU) 2023/956 supplements Directive 2003/87/EC on greenhouse gas emission allowance trading 
     
• Deforestation-free supply chains
  • New: Regulation (EU) 2023/1115
     
• Fluorinated greenhouse gases
  • Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014 -> Regulation (EU) 2024/573
     
• Substances that deplete the ozone layer
  • Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2009 -> Regulation (EU) 2024/590

Directives have also been replaced by regulations in other areas, for example:

• Machinery
  • Directive 2006/42/EC -> Regulation (EU) 2023/1230
     
• Product safety
  • Directive 2001/95/EC -> Regulation (EU) 2023/988

In addition, there are already proposals on other topics that cover sustainability aspects:

• Ecodesign
  • Directive 2009/125/EC -> Proposal for an ecodesign regulation
     
• Toys
  • Directive 2009/48/EC -> Proposal for a Toy Regulation
     
• Packaging
  • Directive 94/62/EC -> Proposal for a packaging regulation
     
• Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)
  • Proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence

The compliance world remains dynamic! Don't lose touch and visit our 12th GLOBALNORM Product Compliance Conference. This year's topics include tutorials on differences and developments in material compliance and the new eco-design regulation. You can view all topics here (in German).

Author

Linda Kritzler (B. A.)
Material & Environmental Compliance Consultant