It is still too early what impact the UK’s recent Brexit referendum vote will have on European legislation like REACH, according to one of the organisations that advises companies on  the rules.

The comments come from REACHReady, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UK-based Chemical Industries Association (CIA) which was formed in 2006 to provide support to companies affected by the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) Regulation.

According to a statement from the organisation, the most prudent approach is to continue as usual until the full implications of the vote to leave the European Union become clear.

REACHReady says that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) expects to see continued compliance with EU chemicals legislation, including: REACH.

DEFRA has said that the REACH registration deadline of 31 May 2018, should be complied with.

REACHReady says: “The dust has settled after the UK’s vote to leave the EU and the political climate has stabilised slightly over the past few months. Uncertainty remains over what exactly the chemicals regulatory landscape might look like.

“What is apparent is that whilst the situation may change with respect to REACH, CLP and BPR, it is still too early to predict what will happen and when.

“The statements from government and the UK chemical industry’s largest trade association, the CIA, indicate that the situation has not yet changed in terms of short to medium-term regulatory compliance. Therefore, the 2018 deadline, for which time is already scarce, still needs to be addressed.”

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which has appointed Andreas Herdina to lead on matters relating to the referendum, has continued to implement the regulations.

Indeed, ECHA and the representative EU chemical industry bodies recently took an important step towards improving communication around chemical safety in the supply chain.

As part of the work, ECHA, the European Chemical Industry Council and the Downstream Users of Chemicals Coordination Group will encourage member companies to make use of sector use map information.

Registrants can use the information when preparing dossiers to register substances. According to the joint statement from the three organisations: “Already for some time, sector use maps have been recognised as an important input for ensuring high quality registration dossiers.

“Their routine use has, however, not yet been institutionalised. This is something the above stakeholders wish to change and use maps will be increasingly important as more smaller chemical companies become involved in REACH for the final 2018 registration deadline.”

ECHA says that it will support industry in ensuring that communication on safe use up and down the supply chain is comprehensive, effective and easy to understand.