Regulations

Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Aarhus Protocol

The 1998 UNECE protocol on persistent organic pollutants under the air-pollution convention, a regional instrument the EU POP Regulation also implements.

Basel Convention

A global treaty that controls cross-border movements of hazardous waste and its disposal, so that hazardous and electronic waste is not simply shipped to countries that cannot handle it safely.

Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542

Battery Regulation

The EU regulation covering the whole life cycle of batteries. It replaces the old Battery Directive, limits mercury, cadmium and lead, requires a carbon-footprint declaration, recycled content, removability, due diligence, and a battery passport.

California Proposition 65

Prop 65

A California law that requires a clear warning on products that can expose people to listed chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, enforced largely through private lawsuits.

China RoHS

China's restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products, run as a marking duty plus a conformity scheme for catalogued products.

CLP: Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (1272/2008)

CLP

The EU regulation that classifies, labels and packages hazardous chemicals, implementing the global GHS system and underpinning which substances become regulated elsewhere.

Conflict Minerals & CMRT: Responsible Sourcing of 3TG

Conflict Minerals

Rules and a standard reporting template (CMRT) for due diligence on tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.

CSDDD: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

CSDDD

EU directive that makes large companies carry out human-rights and environmental due diligence across their own operations and their value chains, and act on the risks they find.

ELV: End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC)

ELV

An EU directive that restricts heavy metals in vehicles and sets reuse, recycling and recovery targets so that cars are designed for, and handled at, end of life.

ESPR: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781

ESPR

An EU framework regulation that lets the Commission set product-specific requirements on durability, reusability, repairability, recycled content, substances of concern, and the Digital Product Passport. It extends ecodesign beyond energy to almost all products.

EU Mercury Regulation (EU) 2017/852

EU Mercury Regulation

The EU law that carries the Minamata Convention into European rules, restricting mercury in products and processes, controlling trade, phasing out dental amalgam uses and governing mercury waste.

EUDR: EU Deforestation Regulation

EUDR

EU regulation that requires certain commodities and the products made from them, such as wood, rubber, soy, palm oil, coffee, cocoa and cattle, to be free from recent deforestation before they can be sold in the EU, backed by due diligence and geolocation data.

F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573

F-Gas Regulation

EU law that phases down fluorinated greenhouse gases, mainly the HFCs used as refrigerants and in foams and aerosols. A falling quota and time-based equipment bans drive the reduction. It replaces the earlier Regulation 517/2014.

Japan CSCL (Chemical Substances Control Law)

CSCL

Japan's main chemicals law, requiring notification of new chemicals and sorting substances into hazard classes, supported by the J-MOSS marking standard and the chemSHERPA data scheme.

K-REACH and Korea RoHS

K-REACH

South Korea's chemicals law requiring registration and hazard information much like EU REACH, paired with a RoHS-style scheme for electronics and vehicles that adds recycling duties.

Minamata Convention on Mercury

Minamata Convention

A global treaty that phases down mercury use, trade and emissions and bans mercury in many products, with the EU Mercury Regulation carrying it into European law.

Ozone Regulation (EU) 2024/590

Ozone Regulation

EU law that controls ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs, HCFCs and halons, turning the Montreal Protocol into European rules. It bans or limits their production, trade and use.

POP: Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation

POP

An EU regulation that bans or severely restricts persistent organic pollutants, toxic chemicals that resist degradation and accumulate in the environment and food chain.

PPWR: Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

PPWR

EU regulation on packaging and packaging waste. It limits heavy metals in packaging, sets recycled-content and recyclability requirements, and pushes packaging reduction. It replaces the older Packaging Directive.

REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals

REACH

The EU's overarching chemicals regulation, requiring registration of substances and managing risk through the SVHC Candidate List, authorisation and restriction.

RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances (Directive 2011/65/EU)

RoHS

An EU directive that restricts ten hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, enforced through CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity.

Rotterdam Convention

A global treaty that runs a Prior Informed Consent procedure for trading certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides, requiring an importing country to agree before a listed chemical can be shipped to it.

SCIP: Database for Substances of Concern In articles (Products)

SCIP

An ECHA database that collects information on Candidate List SVHCs in articles, so the data reaches waste operators and consumers across a product's whole life cycle.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Stockholm Convention

The global treaty to eliminate or restrict persistent organic pollutants, and the international basis that the EU POP Regulation implements in European law.

TSCA: Toxic Substances Control Act

TSCA

The main US law governing industrial chemicals, run by the EPA, covering an inventory of existing substances, notice for new ones, and powers to restrict high-risk chemicals.

UK REACH

The chemicals regime for Great Britain after Brexit, mirroring EU REACH but run separately by the Health and Safety Executive.

UK RoHS

Great Britain's RoHS after Brexit, restricting the same substances as EU RoHS and marked with UKCA.

WEEE: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Directive 2012/19/EU)

WEEE

The EU directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment. It sets collection, recovery and recycling targets, makes producers responsible for end-of-life handling, requires producer registration, and introduces the crossed-out wheelie-bin symbol.

WFD: Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC)

WFD

The EU's framework law for waste, built around the waste hierarchy and, since the 2018/851 amendment, the legal basis for the SCIP database obligation.