Suchergebnisse

In 2005, Switzerland harmonised its law on chemicals with the related EU law on chemicals by bringing the Chemicals Act and the PARCHEM ordinances into force. Unless this law on chemicals is revised again, both at act and at ordinance level, Swiss regulations will again differ from those of the EU in important respects. The question therefore arises of whether and to what extent the Swiss legislation on chemicals should be adapted to REACH. In this article, we consider the need for REACH in order to resolve the existing chemicals issue, the contribution of the new regulations to the protection of the environment, the relationship between the new EU regulation and the existing Swiss legislation and how the possibility of collaboration with the European Chemicals Agency could influence the Swiss adaptation process.

A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a cost efficient tool to acquire data on sources of pollutant emissions and to measure the success of the reduction of polluting substances and waste over time. It promotes a sustainable development by informing the public and by motivating polluters to voluntarily take measures to reduce the environmental burden. The introduction and use of a PRTR was recommended by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro as part of the agenda for sustainable development. PRTRs are already used in several countries as USA, Canada, or The Netherlands. For the time being the OECD is organizing workshops to prepare a guidance document for governments to help other countries in setting up their national PRTR.