REACH (regulatory framework for chemicals) meaning

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Environmental enforcement and prosecutions Energy for environmental lawyers ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Key developments and materials Marine Waste producer responsibility regimes Wildlife, biodiversity and habitat conservation LexTalk Environment: a Lexis Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Useful information Air emissions and climate change DESNZ has released the government’s response to the consultation on regulatory proposals for the CCUS transport and storage Revenue Support Agreement counterparty direction. The CO2 T&S business model aims to catalyse early carbon capture, transport and storage networks by providing revenue support. The response confirms it is suitable to move forward with regulations concerning the Secretary of State’s power to direct a counterparty to make an offer to contract. See: LNB News 29/02/2024 40. DESNZ has also opened a call for evidence to inform a future policy framework for...

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental enforcement and prosecutions Environmental information ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage LexTalk®Environment: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA) Annual Conference Air emissions and climate change Commission proposes rules to verify carbon removals and storage methods The European Commission has unveiled a draft implementing regulation to set consistent verification rules for carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon held in products, under Regulation (EU) 2024/3012. The proposal details procedures to deliver harmonised third‑party certification within the EU certification framework. It addresses Commission‑recognised certification programmes, requirements for certification bodies, audit obligations, and certification registries. The consultation window runs from 03 June 2025 to 01 July 2025. See:...

In this issue: Key developments and materials Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental information Environmental permits and consents Environmental taxes, reliefs and incentives ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Key developments and materials Major reforms to environmental regulation to boost growth and protect nature A fresh review, commissioned by Steve Reed and chaired by Dan Corry, reports that today’s environmental regulatory framework is out of date, patchy and overly complicated—failing both nature and economic expansion. It rejects a wholesale ‘bonfire’ of rules. Instead, it sets out 29 proposals to simplify the regime, which the government is actively examining. Under the Plan for Change, it advocates a more agile, streamlined system to spur growth while protecting the natural world. See News Analysis:...

Nanotechnology—opportunities and risks Nanotechnology deals with the fabrication and application of matter at ultra-small scales. Nanomaterials are quantified in nanometres (nm) and can be many thousands of times thinner than a human hair; a single hair measures around 80,000 to 100,000 nm across. At these dimensions, substances display properties that diverge from those of the same material in bulk form, enabling novel uses while potentially introducing distinct hazards. Current adopters span key fields and wider industries: Biomedicine, electronics and energy Cosmetics, defence, automotive and agriculture Applications range from high-volume commodities, for example carbon black in car tyres, through to specialised, low-volume technologies. Cosmetics commonly incorporate nano titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to deliver functions such as UV filtering, while gold and silver nanoparticles feature in medical diagnostic tools. A 2023 report put the global nanotechnology market at US$69.15bn in 2022, projecting expansion to US$248.56bn by 2030. The European Commission regards micro/nano—electronics and photonics as a Key Enabling Technology that should be...

The EU glossary brings together and clarifies terms regularly used in EU law. Blue economy The European Union’s blue economy covers all activities and sectors linked to oceans, seas and coastlines, whether operating directly in the marine environment (eg shipping, seafood, energy production) or on land (eg ports, shipyards, coastal infrastructures). Circular Economy Action Plan In March 2020, under the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP). The CEAP seeks to: make sustainable products the norm across the EU prioritise sectors likely to be highly affected by circularity, such as construction and buildings, batteries and vehicles, water, packaging, plastics, batteries, electronics empower consumers and public procurers cut waste For further details on the CEAP, see News Analysis: New circular economy action plan published, Sustainable products and supply chains (EU Law)—overview and Practice Note: EU Environment—horizon scanner, which covers key new and upcoming EU legislation and consultations relating to waste regulation,...

This Practice Note offers guidance on the EU regulatory landscape and the developing UK framework for vapour products and e‑cigarettes in the wake of Brexit and after IP completion day (eg 31 December 2020, the close of the Brexit implementation period). What are vapour products? Under EU and UK law, vapour products (often referred to as ‘e‑cigarettes’ or ‘e‑cigs’, ‘vapourisers’ or ‘vapes’) are characterised as products that can generate an inhalable aerosol containing an active ingredient, typically nicotine or a cannabinoid (CBD), through a mouth piece. Vapour products function by heating a solution (e‑liquid) that generally contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, flavourings, and the active ingredient (eg nicotine, CBD). E‑cigarettes do not contain tobacco (ie leaves and other natural processed or unprocessed parts of tobacco plants), and do not burn or produce the products of combustion associated with smoking, including carbon monoxide and ‘tar’. They are separate from both ‘tobacco products’ and ‘herbal products for smoking’ (which are products based on plants, herbs or fruits which...