The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) has warned against the reclassification of recycled or recovered aggregates from construction and demolition waste under the REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals)
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and CARACAL have proposed a reclassification of recycled aggregates to “substance” under the REACH registration.
The current classification of “article” exempts recycled aggregates from REACH registration.
Established end of waste criteria helps raise industry acceptance of recycled aggregates
The change would affect the recycled aggregates that already have established end-of waste (EoW) criteria and FIEC has warned that producers and other economic operators in countries where EoW criteria have already been introduced would face inequal treatment.
FIEC was alerted of the potential changes by its members and a consortium of aggregates and waste management associations.
The reclassification could prove problematic to the circular economy
“A reclassification of recycled aggregates were to require registration under REACH, the associated administrative burden for producers and contractors would be immense,” said the FIEC.
“Furthermore, ECHA’s decision is highly questionable in terms of its compatibility with the EU’s circular economy and sustainability ambitions (European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan and subsequent new EU legislation to promote circular construction):
“Recycled aggregates represent the largest volume of recycled materials in Europe. They are used safely and soundly in many construction works, such as road construction, bridge foundations, pavements and bank protection.”
FIEC emphasised that circularity is a priority, meaning that any regulatory changes that could pose an obstacle to implementing a circular economy across the EU should be reconsidered.
The UK construction industry will be watching the debate over potential reclassification carefully, both for its potential impact on international trade and in relation to the domestic market, which has embraced recycled aggregates.
The UK uses 70m tonnes of recycled and secondary materials in the domestic aggregates market, constituting a 28% market share. This is three times higher than the European average.
