An Introduction to the SCIP Database

Compliance regulations and directives come in droves. It can be tough to keep track of all of them. With the SCIP database having been implemented in January 2021, it's one of the newest directives that not everyone has a grasp of yet. If you're interested in learning some more about SCIP, then read on!

What SCIP Means

The SCIP database is the database for information on Substances of Concern In articles, as such or in complex objects (Products) established under the Waste Framework Directive.

And before you ask...

What Is the Waste Framework Directive (WFD)?

The WFD lays down some basic waste-related regulations that require waste to be managed in the following ways:

• without endangering human health and harming the environment
• without risk to water, air, soil, plants, or animals
• without causing a nuisance through noise or odors
• and without adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest

The WFD is implemented by the EU and affects all companies who conduct business in or with EU nations/customers.

The 3 Primary Goals of the SCIP Database

1. Decrease the generation of waste containing hazardous substances by supporting the substitution of Candidate List substances in articles placed on the EU market.
2. Make information available to further improve waste treatment operations.
3. Allow authorities to monitor the use of substances of concern in articles and initiate appropriate actions over the whole lifecycle of articles, including at their waste stage.

Who Has to Submit to SCIP?

The following suppliers of articles need to submit a SCIP notification to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA):

• EU producers and assemblers
• EU importers
• EU distributors of articles and other actors who place articles on the market
• Retailers, excluding those who are importers and/or producers, and other supply chain actors supplying articles directly and exclusively to consumers are not covered by the duty to provide information to ECHA.

Candidate List and Concentration Levels

The SCIP notification duty covers all articles, without exceptions, as defined under REACH, placed on the EU market containing a Candidate List substance in a concentration above 0.1% w/w (w/w is a volumetric calculation of weight per weight, which is defined as "the proportion of a particular substance within a mixture, as measured by weight or mass").

REACH defines an article as “an object which during production is given a special shape, surface, or design which determines its function to a greater degree than its chemical composition.”

Helpful Tools for Submission

ECHA has developed three useful IT tools for companies to use when submitting to the SCIP database.

Companies who wish to automate their notification dossier submission process can use ECHA's system-to-system service (S2S).

The ECHA submission portal allows companies to submit their information through a harmonized format. To use the portal, each company needs a valid ECHA account and to accept the dedicated terms and conditions.

The third IT tool developed by ECHA for SCIP submissions is the IUCLID data preparation tool. To use IUCLID, each company needs a valid ECHA account. Companies that are interested in using the IUCLID Cloud can subscribe to it after accepting the dedicated terms and conditions. Companies need the role “IUCLID Full Access” to prepare SCIP notifications.

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