In the 1970’s there was a global movement to address pollution and waste. All countries were looking at their options to help clean up landfills, reduce waste, and improve the environment. It was obvious that improving the environment would improve public health and sustainability.

Numerous initiatives were started in the 1970’s around improving the environment and reducing waste. The United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries participated in world forums to discuss and implement strategies to help the environment while reducing waste.

The European Commission began the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) in the 1970’s to help coordinate waste improvement efforts throughout the continent.

There was a substantial effort to reform and improve the WFD in the 2000’s. As a result of several studies and scientific breakthroughs, a major overhaul of the WFD occurred in 2006 followed by another in 2008.

The directive addresses several key features around waste improvement:

– Recycling and reuse – look for ways to divert waste from landfills and use alternative uses or break down the materials for recycling

– Waste reduction – find packaging alternatives or adjust manufacturing processes so that less overall waste is produced

– Definition of waste – clearly understand what waste is so that it can be better managed – for example, byproducts that become compost are no longer considered waste

– List of waste products – outline clearly the waste products that are targeted for reduction or alternative use

– Hazardous substance identification – note any substances where harm to health or environment has been found

As these areas were examined in more detail, it became apparent that monitoring and managing substances of concern was a critical step to reduce harmful environmental and health impacts.

The EU waste framework directive can be summarised into these key points:

– The European Union as a whole should work uniformly to reduce waste and improve the environment

– See sustainable ways to address waste issues

– Note substances of very high concern (SVHC)

– Address specific areas such as substances in electronics, batteries, and other items

– Help to improve the reduction of SVHCs in the production of motor vehicles

As technology progressed in the 2000’s, newer and better ways to track these substances were developed. This gave birth to the SCIP database – Substances of Concern in Products.

SCIP Database – Foundation of EU Waste Framework Directive

SCIP is designed to help waste management companies, consumers, and the government to better understand the types of substances that can adversely impact the environment or public health. SCIP also educates on how to properly dispose of these substances.

Manufacturers who use any of the substances of concern that are identified by SCIP are required to report using the new SCIP process.

This requirement will be enforced in January 2021, so there is extreme urgency for all manufacturers to evaluate and submit where necessary.

The process for submitting SCIP data can be confusing and involve multiple steps. Thankfully there are providers who can help to make this process easier!

APA Engineering has a simplified way to help manufacturers with SCIP submissions.

APA’s software takes the complexity out of the SCIP submission process by using custom software that is built specifically to analyze and audit data from numerous suppliers, then combine and consolidate that data so that the submit process is easier. Lastly, APA’s SCIP software has a built in integration to the SCIP ECHA portal so there is no extra work to upload the information.