On 18 April of 2016, the European Chemicals Agencies (ECHA) Biocidal Products Committee confirmed the registration of Chlorocresol (CMK, PCMC) for the use in leather manufacture. With this decision, Chlorocresol is the first of the big biocidal actives used in leather processing that has successfully completed this second, most crucial step of the European Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) 528/2012/EC.
The European Biocidal Product Regulation 528/2012/12 governs the use of biocidal products within the European Community, and the import/sale of articles that have been treated with any kind of biocidal product. It has three steps and two central provisions.
The three steps are
- notification of the active substances (completed for all permissible actives)
- registration of an active in the name of the supplier (in process)
- authorization of the formulated product (to be started).
Treated articles, for example, leather or shoes, may only be imported or sold in Europe, if the active substance used for the treatment is registered for this use. Biocidal products may only be used within Europe, if authorization has been granted to the supplier for this specific formulation.
Chlorocresol is one of the central active ingredients in the Lanxess Preventol-Range for the use in leather processing. As for Chlorocresol, Lanxess has filed registration dossiers for all actives used in the Preventol-Range for leather processing and is expecting the registrations to be granted in due course.
The third step of BPR, authorization of the formulations to be used in Europe, will be started as foreseen in the regulation as soon as all registration numbers will be available.
