Industry Guidelines

FEICA publication of updated use maps package including SPERCs for ERC 6

Specific Environmental Release Categories (SPERCs) for the INDUSTRIAL USE of adhesives and sealants

The REACH Regulation EC 1907/2006 requires to include with the registration of substances, a chemical safety assessment on the whole life cycle of a chemical. The result of such an assessment is communicated downstream via exposure scenarios (ES) attached to the safety data sheet (SDS) of the substance. Downstream users such as formulators or users of adhesives and sealants are required to take this information on safe use into account in their own documents and adjust their own use conditions accordingly. To assist this process, several downstream user associations under the umbrella of DUCC (Downstream Users of Chemicals Coordination Group), have summarised their typical uses by including state-of-the-art use conditions of main applications in so-called use maps.

This guidance is not intended to describe the full use map concept but rather the specifics of applying the FEICA use map.

In October 2016, FEICA use maps were made available for substance registrants. FEICA use maps compile, in a harmonised and structured way, the majority of the industrial and professional applications of the adhesive and sealant sector. The use maps packages comprise the use map template, which provides the general description of the uses and three separate templates providing the inputs needed to carry out exposure assessments, for workers (SWEDs), environment (SPERCs) and consumers (SCEDs).

Now, a campaign to increase the implementation of FEICA use maps in registrants dossiers has been started by the FEICA Mixture Assessment Task Force (TF). Together with the FEICA webinar that will take place on 15 April 2021, and the development of a guidance document to support registrants with the implementation of the packages, the TF has now made available this informative leaflet. We encourage our members to share this leaflet with your raw materials suppliers (i.e. through your procurement departments).Your support to increase the visibility of all the work done by the TF is of paramount importance and would be greatly appreciated.

With regards to the suspicion that GLYMO ( [3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyl]trimethoxy silane, CAS No 2530-83-8, FCM 1068 ) has genotoxic potential, FEICA recommends that its members substitute GLYMO in 2020 in applications intended for food contact.

This document is intended to communicate the conditions of safe use for the product, based on the exposure assessments required under REACH, and should always be read in combination with the product’s Safety Data Sheet and labels.

This document is intended to communicate the conditions of safe use for the product, based on the exposure assessments required under REACH, and should always be read in combination with the product’s Safety Data Sheet and labels.