Danish Mobile App Increases Consumer SVHC Disclosure Requirements
The Danish EPA has developed a smartphone application (APP) that consumers can download. By scanning the product barcode with their mobile phones, the substances of very high concern (SVHCs) contained in the product can be displayed on the phone screen.
According to statistics from the Danish EPA, in the year since the app was launched, Danish consumers have used it nearly 70,000 times, and more than 1,000 manufacturers have provided SVHC information for their products to the app's database. According to Coop, Denmark's largest retailer, in the first few months after the app's launch, more than 850 consumers requested that the company disclose SVHC information for its products; another well-known clothing brand, Bestseller, stated that during the same period, more than 100 consumers requested transparency in their product information.
According to Article 33 of the EU REACH Chemicals Regulation, when the SVHC content in a product exceeds 0.1% by weight, the manufacturer is obligated to respond to consumer requests for SVHC information within 45 days, free of charge. However, according to on-site investigations by environmental groups, consumers are unaware of their rights. Before this app was launched, Coop received only 8 consumer requests for SVHC information, while Bestseller received approximately only one such request per month.
Bestseller's Global Environmental Coordinator points out that while consumers may find the app convenient, it still has blind spots and shortcomings. For example, large companies typically maintain Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs). Instead of simply displaying which SVHCs are present in a product on the app, it would be more effective in educating consumers and demonstrating the company's efforts. Furthermore, for smaller companies, the presence of SVHCs in products from their upstream supply chain is unknown, rendering the app essentially useless for their products.
The Coop regulatory manager stated that most consumers are unaware of the scope of the REACH regulation and the contents of the candidate SVHC list. Therefore, to respond to the surge in consumer SVHC requests after the app's launch, Coop has invested significant human and material resources in information disclosure. However, besides the increased internal workload, the app has become a communication channel between the company and its customers/consumers, as well as the upstream supply chain. When a new consumer SVHC request comes in, Coop relays it to upstream suppliers, requiring them to respond within a specified timeframe, even if the supplier is located in China. These accumulated requests also convey the level of consumer concern regarding SVHCs in products to upstream suppliers.
Currently, in addition to Denmark, Switzerland and Germany have also launched similar apps to raise consumer awareness of SVHCs in products and emphasize consumers' right to know under the REACH regulation.
Sources: Chemical Watch (2015-03-05) (Compiled by PIDC)
