A New Era Begins for the Chemical Industry

Products Harmful to Environment and Human Health Can No Longer Be Supplied to Turkish Market

With the KKDİK regulation that entered into force on 23 December 2017, restrictions were imposed on some chemicals used in products across all areas of our lives, while others were completely banned. Through KKDİK, which introduces new regulations for chemical substances used in hundreds of products ranging from toys to home textiles, cleaning materials to jewellery, paint to construction materials and cosmetic products, chemicals are now more friendly to human and environmental health. News about products that threaten public health due to harmful chemicals in their content has become one of the most frequently encountered problems. The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, which has taken serious measures against consumer exposure to these chemicals in both domestic production and imports, prepared the "Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals – KKDİK", which entered into force as of 23 December 2017. Turkey took an important step with KKDİK in monitoring chemicals and reducing their harmful effects. Thanks to KKDİK, which is almost a copy of the European Union's REACH Regulation of the same name, another step was taken in harmonizing environment and public health legislation between Turkey and the EU. With KKDİK, the highest level of protection for human health and the environment is aimed for against the negative effects of chemicals used in hundreds of products we touch every day, ranging from cleaning materials to jewellery, cosmetic products to practical jokes and children's toys. The KKDİK Regulation, published in the Official Gazette on 23 June 2017 and adopted, entered into force as of 23 December 2017 and launched a new era in the chemistry sector for both domestic manufacturers and importers.

Chemicals Will Have a "Passport"

Murat Akyüz, Chairman of the Board of Istanbul Chemical Substances and Products Exporters Association (İKMİB) and Founder Chairman of REACH Global Services (RGS), stated: "Just as people have passports, the world now wants chemical substances to have a passport too. What was used in the production of a product? Where were these chemicals sourced from, how much was produced by whom in Turkey, from which foreign manufacturer and in what quantity did whom import from abroad? All of these now need to be recorded and monitored. The whole world is moving in this direction. Many countries have similar legislation. Turkey also began implementing its own legislation with KKDİK," he said. Akyüz, noting that products supplied to the Turkish market will be controlled under KKDİK, pointed out that with the regulation, chemicals will be registered, and companies engaged in manufacturing in Turkey or importing from abroad must register with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in order to continue their industrial and commercial activities. According to the regulation, chemicals manufactured or imported in quantities of one ton or more per year, whether on their own or in mixtures, can no longer be placed on the market without a registration number (passport!). These substances must be fully registered by 31 December 2023, and pre-registrations must be made before that date.

Companies Not Registering in the System Will Lose Out

Akyüz, noting that under the REACH legislation in force in the EU, such registration systems have been known for many years and that work has been carried out for similar systems to be implemented in Turkey over the past ten years, continued as follows: "As a country exporting 40 percent of chemical production to the EU, our exporters have worked intensively since 2008 to comply with EU REACH legislation. Our sector has experience in this. In the process ahead, similar to the EU, timely registration for KKDİK is important. In order to enable registration of our companies to be carried out by a Turkish company, dependent on our REACH Global Services company established in the EU in 2008, and with the support of İMMİB, REACH Global Services Consulting Joint Stock Company was established this time to provide 'Only Representative' services in Turkey. Our companies will continue to provide services to companies in Turkey on compliance with EU REACH legislation and KKDİK legislation for domestic and foreign substances to be placed on the market in Turkey. It is very important that our manufacturers and importers register in order to adapt to this new era in a short period. Just as in EU REACH legislation, henceforth "no registration, no market".

Even China Is Changing

Akyüz, stating that the world is no longer a place where production can be carried out on the principle of "however it is produced, a cheap buyer will be found", pointed out that even China, whose commercial reputation is not particularly bright for the products it manufactures, implements very important sanctions on chemicals. Akyüz noted that China no longer wants to be seen as a country that dumps chemicals into the environment, releases them into nature and pollutes the environment, and stated that important sanctions are being applied to companies, extending to closure. Akyüz said that Turkey has also taken its own measures with KKDİK.

Chemicals Are Now Less Harmful

Looking at what KKDİK brings, the most striking bans concern chemicals used in toys and textile products. For example, many of the chemicals used in sneezing powder and stink bombs, among the most popular practical jokes, have been banned. Health-threatening practical jokes will no longer be able to enter the country. Restrictions on the use of chromium VI compounds in cement and leather goods in contact with skin, toluene in adhesives and spray paints, lead in jewellery, and bisphenol A in POS, ATM and till roll papers are among the other notable measures of KKDİK. With the new regulation, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), which are claimed to cause environmental pollution and at the same time threaten human health, have also been restricted for use in textile products. According to the regulation, "Textiles that can be washed with water must not be placed on the market if each part of the item or the item itself contains NPE in a concentration equal to or higher than 0.01 percent by weight" However, these examples are only the tip of the iceberg. An ordinary consumer has not yet fully realized that chemical substances are present in almost every area of daily life. With KKDİK, Turkey, harmonizing with EU legislation, will henceforth classify the same chemical substances banned, restricted or subject to scrutiny by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Turkey as well.

Industrialists Will Respond to This Major Sector Competition by Working to Comply with KKDİK

All restrictions, registration obligations, necessity to monitor import and production quantities; increase everyone's responsibility significantly, regardless of their role in the sector whether as manufacturer, importer, exporter or distributor. When we also factor in the important Annex 14; under "List of substances subject to authorization", some of these chemicals and even certain phthalates now banned in Europe, known as indispensable for the plastics sector, are subject to a challenging authorization process, the industrialist will face the necessity to abandon the chemical they already use or produce and switch to substitute substances. Similar restrictions will directly affect the paint, cement, fertilizer industries and generally all petrochemical sectors. Additionally, just as in EU REACH implementation, importers sourcing chemical substances from abroad will henceforth need to ensure whether or not they have had their substances registered under KKDİK by foreign manufacturers. Therefore, the process of increasing awareness of the chemistry sector regarding KKDİK and the struggle to remain in the market is only just beginning. All chemistry sub-sectors must take their place in this compliance process in order to remain in the market and maintain their competitive strength. Otherwise, existence in the sector will be impossible, and job losses will be inevitable. The path to KKDİK achieving its goal of protecting human health and the environment lies through the industrialists.