FEICA Use Descriptors

Adhesives and Sealants

The fundamental aim of the REACH Regulation is to ensure all uses are safe to man and to the environment.

Within REACH, “use” is defined in a specific and unique way. Established means of describing use are no longer appropriate for communicating, up and down supply chains, information relating to use. A new system developed by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has to be employed to enable “use” to be described in accordance with the REACH definition.

With the aim of helping manufacturers and importers of substances understand how substances are typically handled in the manufacture of adhesives and sealants, and in their application in industrial processes, by professional users and by consumers, FEICA has compiled descriptors of use covering all these use situations.

More information can be found in the FEICA Guidance, about the use descriptor scheme, the manufacturing and application processes, and how the descriptor of use tables can be used by upstream suppliers, by adhesives and sealants manufacturers, and by downstream users.
In the interests of harmonisation and consistency, manufacturers and importers are urged to adopt relevant uses from the FEICA tables as identified uses. Both manufacturers and downstream users are encouraged to select use descriptors from the FEICA tables and to communicate these up and downstream.

The documents can be accessed on the following links:

FEICA Guidance ( November 2009 – V2)
User Descriptor for registrants ( 16 November 2009 – V26)
User Descriptor by Application ( 16 November 2009 – V26)
Environmental Release Categories – SPERCs ( March 2010)

The tables will be subject to review and possible amendment, in the light of experience of their use, and in the event of changes to current ECHA or CEFIC interpretation and guidance on the REACH Regulation.

Links

ISOPA and FEICA have aligned their uses for MDI, TDI and polyol.
FEICA considers ISOPA’s UD in line with FEICA's UD.

Please click here for a direct link to the mapping of uses of ISOPA (= European diisocyanate and polyol Producers Association).
(Last update: 4 December 2009)

Please click here for a direct link to the Cefic website to an overview of the activities relevant to the REACH Libraries carried out by industry associations.