Environment & Health

This section of the website provides an overview of the policies related to the protection of the environment including water, air and soil as well as the protection of human health, including workers, consumers and the public at large.
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Environment
19 March 2023

JOINT POSITION PAPER | NATURE RESTORATION LAW

Position paper

Please find the full position paper here.
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Environment
3 May 2021

JOINT INDUSTRY STATEMENT | KEY MESSAGES ON THE TARGETED STAKEHOLDER SURVEY (TSS) ON THE E-PRTR REGULATION REVISION

Publication

Please consult here the joint statement regarding the key messages on the Targeted Stakeholder Survey (TSS) on the E-PRTR Regulation revision.
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Environment
12 April 2021

JOINT INDUSTRY STATEMENT | CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY OPTIONS IN CONTEXT OF THE TARGETED STAKEHOLDERS SURVEY ON THE REVISION OF THE INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS DIRECTIVE

Publication

Please consult here the joint statement regarding climate change policy options considered in context of the TSS on the revision of the IED.
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Chemicals
1 April 2019

FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS: PUBLIC CONSULTATION

News

On 11 February 2019, the European Commission opened a public consultation to assess the current EU legislative framework for food contact materials.
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Chemicals
28 March 2019

UPDATE ON TITANIUM DIOXIDE CLASSIFICATION PROPOSAL

News

On 7 March 2019, the REACH Committee vote on whether to classify Titanium Dioxide as a carcinogen was again postponed; new vote scheduled on 8-9 April 2019.
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Chemicals
26 February 2019

NEPSI ROADMAP

News

On 26 February 2019, NEPSI, the European Network for Silica, launched a Joint Declaration on a roadmap of actions for the future development of the Social Dialogue Agreement.
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Chemicals
25 February 2019

CMD 2 SIGNED BY PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL

News

On 11 December, the 2nd batch of the Carcinogens & Mutagens Directive was adopted by the European Parliament and approved by the Council on 20 December 2018. The act entered into force on 20 February 2019.
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Chemicals
26 October 2018

CMD 2 AGREEMENT GOES TO TRILOGUE

News

On 26 October 2018, the European Parliament and the Council agreed on the Commission's second proposal to broaden the list of recognised cancer-causing chemicals in the workplace.
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Chemicals
1 October 2018

EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP

Meeting

On 24 September, the European Commission began the evaluation process for the EU’s food contact materials legislation with a stakeholder workshop.
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Chemicals
2 July 2018

EPCF LUNCH ON FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS

Meeting

On 26 June, the EPCF Informal Lunch Debate on the revision of the Directive (EC) 84/500/EEC, "the Ceramic Directive".
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REACH
12 June 2018

REACH & OSH DISCUSSION AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

News

On the 5th of June the cross industry initiative for a better regulation in chemicals management (CII) organised a European Parliament dinner debate on “enhancing synergies between REACH and OSH”.
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Chemicals
10 May 2018

CARCINOGENS & MUTAGENS (BATCH 2): VOTE AND TRILOGUE NEGOTIATIONS

News

Agreement close amongst the EU institutions on the second revision of the Carcinogens & Mutagens Directive.
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Chemicals
2 May 2018

FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS MEETING WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

News

Representatives from the European ceramics industry met with officials from the European Commission to exchange on the latest review of Food Contact Materials legislation.
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Chemicals
24 April 2018

CARACAL MEETING: TITANIUM DIOXIDE UPDATE

News

CARACAL technical meeting on TiO2 held 23 April in Brussels. Member States remain divided over whether TiO2 should be considered for the Adaptation to Technical Progress (ATP). CU does not support moving Titanium Dioxide to be considered under ATP.
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Chemicals
20 April 2018

COAL TAR PITCH MEETING WITH ECHA

News

Eurometaux organised a technical meeting with the European Chemicals Agency to discuss authorisation applications of coal tar pitch. Refractory Products Europe, a Cerame-Unie member, was in attendance.
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Chemicals
4 January 2018

FCM REVISION ROADMAP

News

Food contact materials (FCMs) are all materials that come into contact with food including packaging as well as every-day items such as kitchen and table ware and those used in professional food manufacturing, preparation, storage and distribution.
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Chemicals
27 December 2017

CARCINOGENS AND MUTAGENS DIRECTIVE, FIRST WAVE OF AMENDMENTS – PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL JOURNAL

News

On 11 July 2017, the COREPER voted an agreement reached by the Council presidency, the European Commission and the European Parliament on a new Directive to protect the workers from exposure to carcinogens or mutagens in the workplace
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Environment
20 December 2017

CERAMICS BREF POSTPONED UNTIL AT LEAST 2019

News

The Ceramic BREF is an important document for the ceramic industry as it provides the legal basis for factory permits in the EU under the Industrial Emissions Directive.
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Chemicals
17 July 2017

NEPSI SIGNATORIES PRESS RELEASE

News

The Council and European Parliament has reached an agreement on the first wave revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD). Both Council and Parliament are now expected to adopt the text in September 2017.
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Environment
8 June 2017

ACTION PLAN FOR NATURE, PEOPLE AND THE ECONOMY

News

Cerame-Unie attended a joint European Commission and Committee of the Regions conference to launch “An Action Plan for nature, people, and the economy”
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Chemicals
9 February 2017

CERAME-UNIE POSITION ON CMD

News

Ahead of the vote in the EP Employment and Social Affairs Committee on the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, scheduled for 28 February, the European ceramic industry has prepared its position position on the amendments tabled.
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Chemicals
20 December 2016

CERAMIC BREF REVISION

News

The official start of the revision of the Ceramic BREF has been further postponed by at least half a year to 2018.
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Chemicals
12 December 2016

CARCINOGENS AND MUTAGENS DIRECTIVE DEBATED IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

News

EP rapporteur Ulvskog presented her draft report on the revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive on 8 December.
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Chemicals
31 October 2016

FEPF ATTENDED THE SIXTH JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE (JRC) WORKSHOP ON CERAMICS

News

FEPF, the Cerame-Unie member association representing the European ceramic table- and ornamentalware, attended the sixth Joint Research Centre (JRC) workshop on ceramics on 25 October 2016 in Ispra, Italy.
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Environment
29 October 2016

FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS

News

FEPF, the Cerame-Unie member association representing the European ceramic table- and ornamentalware, attended the sixth Joint Research Centre (JRC) workshop on ceramics on 25 October 2016 in Ispra, Italy.
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REACH
6 October 2016

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON REACH AUTORISATION PROPOSALS

News

Cerame-Unie/PRE replied to the public consultation launched by the European Commission (EC) in September, regarding the proposal to amend the REACH Annex XIV authorisation list.
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Chemicals
1 September 2016

NEPSI CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY

News

The conference celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the NEPSI Agreement took place on 16 June. This event took place in the light of the recently proposed revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD).
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Chemicals
1 September 2016

POSSIBLE HARMONIZED CLASSIFICATION OF TIO2

News

On 31 May, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) has submitted a proposal to ECHA for a harmonised classification of Titanium Dioxide
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Chemicals
1 September 2016

PRE ACTIVITIES ON COAL TAR PITCH, HIGH TEMPERATURE

News

The substance Coal Tar Pitch High Temperature (CTPHT) was recommended in September 2014 for inclusion in the Annex XIV of Reach, the so-called Authorisation List. It was followed by a public consultation to which PRE replied.
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Environment
1 September 2016

CERAME-UNIE PREPARES FOR CERAMICS BREF REVISION

News

The current Ceramic Manufacturing Industry Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference document, the so-called Ceramic BREF, was published in 2007 and is going to be reviewed officially in 2017.
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Chemicals
13 May 2016

RESPIRABLE CRYSTALLINE SILICA PROPOSED TO AMEND ANNEX OF CMD

News

The European Commission adopted a proposal to amend Directive 2004/37 on the protection of workers from the risk related to exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at work (CMD). Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) is one of the substances proposed.
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REACH
9 May 2016

CROSS-INDUSTRY GROUP LAUNCHES WEBSITE IN SUPPORT OF BETTER REGULATION INITIATIVE FOR CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT

News

The Cross-Industry Initiative (CII), an ad-hoc coalition of nearly 60 EU-wide, national organisations and companies, of which Cerame-Unie is part, has launched a new website to better inform policy makers of its goals and arguments.
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Chemicals
4 April 2016

NEPSI 2016 REPORTING EXERCISE CONCLUDED

News

The 2016 NEPSI reporting exercise started on 15 January 2016 and closed on 4 April 2016.
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REACH
26 January 2016

REACH AUTHORISATION ANNEX XIV - PROCESS ONGOING

News

Discussions on the possible inclusion of Refractory Ceramic Fibres, Borates and Coal tar pitch, high temperature in the REACH Authorisation list (Annex XIV) are ongoing.
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Chemicals
15 January 2016

NEPSI 2016 REPORTING EXERCISE STARTS UP

News

NEPSI, the European Network for Silica, was formed in 2006 to implement good practices with respect to the handling of crystalline silica sand on a voluntary basis. The 2016 reporting exercise will start on 15 January and end on 15 March.
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Environment
16 December 2015

AIR POLICY DISCUSSIONS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

News

In recent months, discussions progressed in the European Parliament on the Medium Combustion plants Directive (MCPD) and the Reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants (NECD).
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Environment
15 December 2015

CU TASK FORCE AHEAD OF CERAMIC BREF REVISION

News

The European Commission is expected to start revising the Ceramic BREF in 2017. In order to prepare for the revision, Cerame-Unie set up a Task Force composed of BREF experts from all ceramic sectors.
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REACH
16 November 2015

RECOMMENDATIONS BY EU-WIDE CROSS-INDUSTRY INITIATIVE FOR BETTER REGULATION IN CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT

Position paper

This paper constitutes a revisited version of an earlier position paper, which is complemented with more comprehensive subject-specific reports. The general message transmitted by the original paper remains unchanged.
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Chemicals
12 October 2015

FIFTH JRC WORKSHOP IN ISPRA, ITALY

News

FEPF, the Cerame-Unie member association representing the European ceramic table- and ornamentalware, attended the fifth Joint Research Centre (JRC) workshop on ceramics on 12 October in Ispra, Italy.
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Chemicals
10 December 2014

SCIENTIFIC WORK ONGOING ON CERAMIC FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS

News

The European Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM) organised a fourth workshop in Ispra, Italy on 10 December 2014, which was attended by a strong delegation from Cerame-Unie.
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Environment
16 June 2014

NO ECO-DESIGN NECESSARY FOR INDUSTRIAL FURNACES

Position paper

Cerame-Unie supports the outcome of the Consultation Forum which was held on 16 May concluding that no eco-design requirements for industrial furnaces should be developed.
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Chemicals
10 June 2014

FOOD CONTACT LEGISLATION: TECHNICAL RESEARCH ONGOING

News

The European Reference Laboratory organised a third workshop in Ispra, Italy on 10 June 2014 to discuss the ongoing laboratory tests on the migration of different metals from ceramic tableware.
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Chemicals
14 March 2014

THIRD NEPSI REPORTING CONCLUDED

News

The third NEPSI reporting ended on 14 March 2014. The purpose of this voluntary exercise is to demonstrate the industry’s commitment to and continued improvement in dealing with respirable crystalline silica.
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REACH
23 August 2013

COMMENTS ON REACH ANNEX XV RESTRICTION REPORT

Position paper

This position paper outlines the arguments for exempting all ceramic consumer articles from the proposed restriction in Annex XVII on lead and its compounds.
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Raw materials
28 June 2013

NON-ENERGY EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES PANEL ON RESOURCE TAXATION

Position paper

The Non-Energy Extractive Industries Panel detail that the tax on mineral resources is a non-adequate fiscal tool for increasing resource efficiency and that tax neutrality is hard to achieve at EU level yet remains a must for competitiveness.
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Environment
26 April 2013

12 INDUSTRIES FIND NO NEED FOR ECO-DESIGN FOR INDUSTRIAL KILNS AND FURNACES

Position paper

Custom designed industrial kilns and furnaces are already sufficiently regulated – an eco-design regulation for these installations is not needed.
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Raw materials
20 March 2013

NEEIP ON PROPOSAL TO AMEND DIRECTIVE ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Position paper

The Non Energy Extractive Industry Panel (NEEIP) comments on the proposal of the Commission to amend Directive 2011/92/EU on environmental impact assessment.
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Raw materials
2 February 2011

CERAME-UNIE WELCOMES COMMUNICATION ON RAW MATERIALS

Press release

The Commission presented its long awaited Communication on commodity markets and raw materials. The document contributes to the Europe 2020 flagship initiative ‘A resource efficient Europe’.
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