EU Parliament on its way to object DEHP authorisation

Yesterday, the EU Parliament took a big step towards a rejection to use the chemical DEHP. The ENVI Committee (DG ENVI) voted in favour of two resolutions, which objects implementing acts intending to grant authorisations to major use of DEHP, coming from companies Deza and Grupa.

The two DEHP objections were adopted with near unanimity. Following this result, the resolutions now move to the Parliament for a vote in plenary before they are fully adopted.

“Since DG ENVI is made up of representatives from all political groups, this near unanimous vote is a really strong indication that we will see a similar result in the full plenum”, says Frida Hök, Senior Policy Advisor at ChemSec.

“The two DEHP objections were adopted with near unanimity”

DEHP is a phthalate used as a plasticiser to produce PVC in consumer articles. It is identified as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) due to its toxicity for the reproductive system and as an endocrine disruptor. Many companies have already substituted DEHP with safer alternatives – DG ENVI for example refers to safer alternatives present on ChemSec’s Marketplace in the resolution documents.

This DG ENVI move follows the recent ruling of the EU Court of Justice, which annulled an authorisation for the continued use of another SVHC – lead chromate. The court explicitly stated that authorisation should not be granted if there are uncertainties around the availability of alternatives.

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