CARY, NC - February 5, 2008 – Information and details that the nonwovens, textiles and chemicals industries need concerning the Europe Union’s (EU) recently enacted Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) requirements will be the focus of INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry’s first-ever seminar on the topic being held in early April.

In place since June 2007, REACH is a comprehensive overhaul of the European Union’s (EU) chemical regulatory regime that places the onus on industry to demonstrate the safety of chemicals with the intention of better protecting the environment and human health. Under the REACH, chemicals made or sent to the region above certain threshold amounts would be subject to new registration, testing and authorization requirements. In many case, products containing these substances would also be subject to REACH obligations.

“REACH, which replaces the previous complex laws in place individually by every country, will significantly impact companies looking to export their products to Europe. REACH provides a single comprehensive directive regarding products and their safety,” says Mike Thomason, formerly with Fiberweb.

While REACH primarily affects textile chemical manufacturers in Europe itself, manufacturers from outside the EU need to be aware that REACH also applies to any chemical products they export into Europe. Instructors for the INDA seminar will come from Keller & Heckman, Ciba, Rohm & Haas, Eastman Chemical, Schill & Seilacher, Kimberly-Clark and the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA).

“Because pre-registration or registration must take place before chemicals can be imported, it is vital that any company exporting product to Europe be aware of both the benefits and the potential burdens REACH can impose. Several critical dates are coming up in the second half of 2008,” Thomason adds. “This seminar will educate attendees on both the large and small details to assure compliance with the system that is being implemented in Europe.”

For more on the REACH Seminar being organized by INDA, contact Jessica Christiano, at jchristiano@inda.org; 919-233-1210 ext. 126 or visit the INDA website: www.inda.org.