Future-proof your product portfolio with Ricardo's horizon scanning and compliance reporting tool

Ricardo has launched a horizon scanning and compliance reporting tool offering a substance inventory check against global regulatory lists. It provides the results in a clear, easy-to-read report, where organisations can quickly determine the most recent status of their substances.

The tool will identify the necessary information regarding the product portfolio of the client, meaning they are less likely to miss any important actions that could result in non-compliance. This protects not only the client’s reputation, but also safeguards against enforcement actions and helps organisations future-proof their product portfolio.

Organisations in the healthcare and product manufacturing industries have already started taking advantage of the new tool.

The risk management process for substances is complex. Understanding the hazards of chemicals is a key part of responsible product stewardship and is essential for a sustainable business and for maintaining compliance with global chemical regulations. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) updates its lists, including Authorisation, Candidate, CoRAP, PACT and Restriction, twice a year, often resulting in the movement of substances between lists. Each list carries its own regulatory implications and mitigation steps. The appearance or movement of a substance within these lists can trigger actions for organisations, such as phasing out a certain substance from product range, altering its concentration, or introducing specific workers’ safety procedures. 

Monitoring these various REACH lists can be time consuming and problematic because of the introduction of generic group entries, which means it is no longer enough to simply search for numeric chemical identifiers. 

Caroline Raine, Regulatory Technical Director, said: “With the continually changing regulatory landscape, it is paramount for manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and end users to be aware of and regularly monitor the status of their substances. The sooner organisations are aware of their obligations, the more time they’ll have to implement the appropriate changes to products. This will in turn help organisations make strategic decisions sooner and ensure they maintain access to their key markets.”

The tool is available as a subscription model with several packages offering varying levels of support to cater to individual needs. Bespoke reports are available, where chemical regulations and databases are included to meet specific regulatory and regional needs as well as providing you with tailored guidance.

Read more about our horizon scanning tool >