Call for evidence on the use of cadmium in plastics

Following a request from the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is examining the case for expanding the restriction on cadmium in plastics from the current 16 specific plastic materials listed in Annex XVII of REACH to all plastic materials.
Anyone who could be affected by a widening of this restriction, or who holds information on relevant uses of cadmium and its compounds in plastics, or on possible alternatives, is invited to submit comments before 11 February 2013 via an online questionnaire available on the ECHA website. In particular, the Agency seeks to identify any additional plastic materials – made in the EU or imported, for example, in consumer articles, and not covered by the current restriction – which might contain cadmium or cadmium compounds.
The call for evidence provides an opportunity for interested parties to express their views at this early stage in the restriction process. This information will assist ECHA's development of an Annex XV restriction dossier on the expansion of the restrictions on cadmium in plastics. The call for evidence does not replace the public consultation on restriction proposals prepared by ECHA, which forms a standard part of the restriction process and will take place later (ECHA Press Release, 13 January 2013).