Product labels on common household chemicals such as detergents, glues, and drain cleaners will get a minimum font size and colour, while online sales will have to display the same information as physical labels. These new requirements are the result of an agreement by EU institutions on a reform of the bloc’s ‘Classification, Labelling, and Packaging of chemicals’ (CLP) legislation.

Monique Goyens, BEUC’s Director General, commented:

“Consumers deserve a toxic-free life. The new chemical labels will be easier to read for consumers, helping them to make more informed purchasing choices, offline and online.

“Product labels about chemical risks today are too often obscure, making them difficult to read and understand for consumers. At the same time, online traders frequently fail to provide the mandatory labelling information on the webpage where a product is made available for purchase. This can result in avoidable and hence unacceptable health risks.” [1] [2]

Why this EU law matters to consumers

The CLP legislation plays a direct role in protecting consumers against chemical risks. It regulates how hazard and safe use information must be communicated to consumers through product labels. It also supports identification of hazardous chemicals which in turn serves as a trigger for risk management in other EU legislation meant to protect workers, consumers, and the environment.
 
BEUC supported the reform of the CLP legislation since product labels today do not work for consumers, and because existing rules fail to address critical hazards such as endocrine (hormone) disruption. The latter aspect has been tackled separately from the reform concluded today through the establishment in April 2023 of an EU definition on hormone-disrupting chemicals.
 
In addition, BEUC strongly welcomes policymakers’ decision to keep information essential for health, safety, and the environment on the label, and to establish strict rules for ‘digital labels’ – via a QR code – which in the view of consumer organisations can only complement, but never replace, the physical label.

Additional information

• [1] More info on the need to improve communication on chemical hazards.
• [2] According to research by the European Chemicals Agency on articles sold online, “out of 2 752 products/offers that were checked for the advertising obligations … 2 065 (75 %) did not comply.”
• Next steps: The agreement now awaits final approval by the European Parliament and Council.  

Read also

• Towards toxic-free consumer lives (BEUC’s views on regulating chemicals, 2021)
• Ubiquitous but preventable: harmful chemicals in everyday consumer products (BEUC press release and report, 2023)