SCIP Database Adding Millions of Dossiers Every Week

The January 5, 2021, European Union (EU) Waste Framework Directive deadline has passed, and the legislation is now in force. Have you maintained access to the region by submitting product dossiers to the Substances of Concern In articles, as such or in complex objects (Products) (SCIP) database?

On December 16, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) the new SCIP database had received over 2 million notifications. By January 11, 2021, the number had surpassed 5 million, signalling immediate, widespread adoption among all business sizes.

Now all eyes look to ECHA for their first report after the deadline. During the last few weeks of December 2020, the organization had issued several newsletters and guides to help companies meet their requirements, so we should expect more communication.


Learn how to submit to the SCIP database effectively in our guide, Building an Effective SCIP Database Program.


ECHA Provides Best Practices & Ongoing Guidance

In response to the tidal wave of data transmissions, ECHA issued “Tips to improve submissions through system-to-system” on December 22. This comes in addition to the “Key tips for successful SCIP notifications” released just a few weeks earlier, which provides best practices for meeting the database’s data validation rules. The insights included:

  • Only report on products that contain Candidate List substances.
  • Include clear, accurate identification data for all articles.
  • Avoid redundant subcomponents if they don’t contain Candidate List substances.
  • For common products, two to five layers are sufficient.
  • For complex products, there should be no more than seven.
  • Group similar articles when possible.
  • Reduce dossier sizes by filing components separately if necessary.

It isn’t surprising to see the organization so communicative right now. Several industry groups, including the
European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), submitted letters to EU President von der Leyen asking for short-term relief from the January 5, 2021, deadline.


Learn how to submit to the SCIP database effectively in our guide, Building an Effective SCIP Database Program.


While the European Commission later maintained the deadline would stand, they’re likely prioritizing further guidance materials. Having them available should maintain data quality and accuracy as companies work to submit their dossiers.

One SCIP Solution for the Entire Process

Assent has worked with ECHA to refine and streamline data exchange between companies in scope. As a result, we offer the industry’s most comprehensive platform solution for meeting these requirements, from scoping to submission. They include free tools for small businesses, which help our clients maintain reliable access to the quality component data they need.

You can use our SCIP solution to acquire the new EU Waste Framework Directive article data fields for your products, and any Candidate List substance data you may be missing. We also validate your data to ensure it meets SCIP acceptance criteria, before you can put massive wasted hours into the submission process.

Learn more about how to keep access to the EU market in 2021 from our experts.

Dr. Raj Takhar
Regulatory & Sustainability Expert, Product Sustainability

Raj helps companies meet their product compliance challenges in an ever-changing regulatory landscape. He specializes in product compliance, chemical reporting, and program implementation in Europe.

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