Brexit: What will happen to environmental regulations?

When the brexit transition period comes to an end in 2021, EU regulations will no longer apply in the UK, and what will happen to far-reaching EU environmental regulations in the UK?

REACH regulation

From 1 January 2021, UK REACH will replace EU REACH regulations.Companies exporting substances, mixtures or articles to the UK and the EU will need to fulfil their respective obligations under both laws.According to a statement from the British government, THE UK REACH will maintain the objectives and principles of EU REACH, which include:

• The "no data, no market" principle
• The "last resort" principle of animal testing
• Principle of information transfer
• The precautionary principle

Remobilised regulations

The current EU persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) regulations govern and implement the Agreement on persistent Organic Pollutants of the Stockholm International Convention and the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution of Persistent Organic Pollutants (CLRTAP).The UK POPs legislation inherited the EU POPs legislation and will remain in its current form after 1 January 2021.The UK POPs regulation will also amend the list of restricted, prohibited, and other substances in the annex to the Regulation in accordance with decisions taken at the last Stockholm Convention meeting.

CE mark and UCKA mark

The UKCA logo is a new UK compliance product logo that will be used on goods marketed in the UK (England, Wales and Scotland).The UKCA logo is applicable to most products that currently require the CE logo.UKCA tags will be in use from 1 January 2021.But to give companies time to adapt to the new requirements, they will still be able to use the CE mark by January 1, 2022, in most cases.In some cases, businesses will be required to apply the new UKCA mark to goods sold in the UK from 1 January 2021 immediately.Businesses are encouraged to use the UKCA tag as soon as possible before this date.

From January 1, 2022, the CE mark will not be recognized in the UK.However, products bearing the CE mark can still be sold in the UK as long as they also carry the UKCA mark and comply with the relevant UK regulations.At the same time, medical devices have different applicable rules.

GST reminds relevant companies to prepare for brexit, collect relevant information in a timely manner to meet the latest requirements of British laws and regulations, and avoid being intercepted by customs or even causing legal disputes.We have a professional technical team to track the latest development of regulations and standards for you, and help you to develop the most comprehensive and economical test plan.If you have any problem with product compliance, please feel free to contact us.