'Reach' legislation affecting small businesses
Impending European chemical legislation could have a negative impact on small metal trading businesses, according to the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA).
'Reach' - the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals - comes into force on 1 June this year.
The legislation requires the registration of around 30,000 substances over a period of 11 years so that information can be gathered on potential hazards, and their safe usage can be ensured.
A spokesperson for the MMTA told The Guardian that the cost of testing the chemicals will cause some of the Association's members to leave the metal trading business or locate their enterprises outside the European Union (EU).
