Brussels, 8 November 2021: Today, A.I.S.E., the European
detergents and maintenance products industry, is teaming up with the European
Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and other partners for a social media awareness raising
campaign about the Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) code - #UFImattersEU. Our
goal is to educate parents with small children on what the UFI code is and how
it can help them to get accurate medical advice faster in case of an
accident.
Since January 2021, poison centres have started asking callers for the UFI code that stands for ‘unique formula identifier’. The UFI can be found on the product label of many everyday chemical products, such as cleaning agents, paints and adhesives. It helps poison centres identify the product and its ingredients quickly so they can give accurate advice to those in need. The UFI code is a requirement for various industry sectors in the scope of the
CLP regulation.
This ECHA led EU-wide campaign, co-created with A.I.S.E. and other stakeholders, aims to increase awareness of the UFI code. The goal is to educate parents with small children on what the UFI code is and how it can help them if there is an accident. Safe use of products has long been a priority of the detergent and maintenance products industry. "Promoting the UFI Code with our network through our consumer portal was logical. But what matters is prevention of accidents, by enabling safe use and safe storage of products. Since 2004, our sector has been implementing voluntarily on
pack the promotion of
various safe use icons and tips. The Keep Away From Children icon was included in the 8th revised edition of GHS in 2019 and we are very pleased that it is included in this ECHA campaign” said Valérie Séjourné, Director Communications & Stakeholder outreach in A.I.S.E.
ECHA is looking for partners to help spread the word and reach as many parents in Europe as possible such as authorities, other industry sectors, companies, consumer organisations etc. to help disseminate the toolkit.
The campaign is supported so far by:
- International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products - A.I.S.E.
- The European consumer voice in standardisation – ANEC
- The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment – BfR
- Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus - CLP HelpDesk
Background
- About UFI: The UFI code is a requirement for various industry sectors in the scope of the CLP regulation; according to Article 45 and Annex VIII of this regulation, importers and downstream users placing hazardous mixtures on the EU market are to provide specific information on their mixtures to appointed bodies. The annex also specifies a harmonised format for notifications. The information contained in the notifications will be used by poison centres for emergency health response purposes in case of incidents involving these mixtures. Since 1 January 2021, all new products that are classified for health or physical hazards and are sold to consumers in the EU must have a UFI code. However, you may sometimes still find products in your local store without a UFI code, as the companies have until the beginning of 2025 to add the code to those products that were already sold in the EU before 2021.
- About A.I.S.E.: The "International Association for Soaps, Detergents and maintenance products” (A.I.S.E.) has been representing the detergents and maintenance products industry in Europe to EU regulators for over 65 years. Through its extensive membership network of 29 national associations, 18 corporate members and 13 value chain partners, A.I.S.E. represents over 900 companies supplying household and professional cleaning products and services across Europe. A.I.S.E. has a long history in leading voluntary industry initiatives that focus on sustainable design, manufacturing and consumption, product safety and safe use of products by consumers and professional customers. Based in Brussels, A.I.S.E. is the key industry body providing industry’s expertise to EU policy makers on regulatory matters; its role is also to support its members in the proper implementation of such regulations.
- About Cleanright: Initially created in 2008, cleanright.eu is the official portal common to the whole industry, informing European consumers about cleanliness and hygiene at home. Relaunched in early 2020, it is structured in four main chapters, providing relevant and useful advice on: Cleanliness & hygiene, Sustainable cleaning, Safe use, Reading the label. It now reflects the UFI code in these last 2 sections.