Regulatory Issues

The chemical industry is highly regulated and helping member companies to achieve full regulatory compliance in the most cost-effective way is a key priority for CBA.

CBA therefore engages with the legislative and regulatory process in Whitehall, Westminster, Brussels, and the UN. Its expert resources are focused in three main areas: advocacy, implementation, and information and advice.

Advocacy

CBA is consulted at an early stage in the legislative and regulatory process and aims to influence new proposals to ensure they do not undermine the industry’s competitiveness and profitability. CBA member companies benefit from the excellent working relationships which have been developed over the years by CBA personnel with key players in the legislative and regulatory process.

CBA’s specialist committees examine new legislative and regulatory proposals and frame a response on behalf the Association. Following the approval of CBA Council, this response is submitted to the government department or regulatory authority. This process is supported by CBA personnel in face-to-face meetings with the department or authority concerned.

On major pieces of legislation, such as the REACH legislation, CBA’s campaign of advocacy on behalf of its members has had to be sustained over several years. In other cases, advocacy is required over a shorter period. This process can involve intensive media campaigns as well as high-level confidential meetings with decision makers. CBA tailors its advocacy approach to the issue involved in order to best serve and protect the interest of its member companies.

In many cases, advocacy is a continuous process. Because CBA is recognised as the authoritative voice of the chemical supply chain, it engages with a wide range of official bodies and industry organisations in the UK, Europe, and elsewhere.

Implementation

CBA assists in the implementation of new legislation and regulations through its comprehensive programme of seminars and workshops – a service which is becoming increasingly important for CBA member companies.

CBA has made an industry-leading commitment to deliver ‘compliance training on demand’ to its member companies. Subject only to two conditions: that each training event is commercially viable and can be scheduled into its existing event calendar – CBA’s in-house experts will deliver the type of compliance training required by its member companies. Examples of recent workshop and seminar topics are:

Import/Export Brexit Implications
Data Protection & Law Update
Incoterms 2010
Emergency Response
Carriage of Dangerous Goods
REACH
Environmental Compliance
Classification, Labelling, and Packaging
Health & Safety Compliance for smaller firms
Safety Performance Leading Indicators
Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH)
Competition Law
Combustible Liquids in IBCs
Trade Controls for Chemicals
Dangerous Substances Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR)
Safety Leadership for CEOs

Information and advice

A key element of CBA’s Compliance Service consists of day-to-day support for member companies through regulatory information and advice. The wide range of topics is illustrated below: