ECHA Invites Companies to Submit Notifications of Intention Under the Drinking Water Directive
The EU Drinking Water Directive (EU 2020/2184) establishes minimum hygiene and safety standards for water intended for human consumption, as well as for materials and products that come into contact with drinking water. The directive aims to ensure that substances used in such materials do not negatively affect water quality or public health. On 5 January 2026, the European Chemicals Agency published a news release announcing that companies and other economic operators can begin submitting notifications of intention under the Drinking Water Directive. This step is intended to help regulators better understand which substances companies plan to submit for evaluation in materials used in contact with drinking water. A large number of substances used in drinking water contact materials may need to be evaluated under the directive. However, the European Chemicals Agency and EU Member States currently do not know in advance which substances companies intend to submit for assessment. This uncertainty creates several potential challenges. Authorities may face difficulties in planning the evaluation workload, and the large number of substances could lead to regulatory bottlenecks or delays. In addition, multiple companies may prepare separate dossiers for the same substance, resulting in duplication of effort and inefficient use of resources. To manage these challenges effectively, companies should begin preparing for the notification process at an early stage. Organizations should identify all materials and substances used in products that come into contact with drinking water and evaluate whether they may require assessment under the directive. Submitting the Notification of Intention early allows regulators to anticipate upcoming applications. Companies should also begin preparing the necessary technical data and consider joint submissions where multiple companies are working with the same substance. Monitoring regulatory deadlines and transition periods is also important to ensure timely compliance. Submitting notifications of intention provides several advantages for both regulators and industry. Early notifications allow authorities to plan their workload more effectively and improve transparency regarding substances that may require evaluation. The process also helps reduce duplication of work among companies preparing submissions. In addition, the directive strengthens consumer protection by ensuring that substances used in materials that contact drinking water are properly assessed. This contributes to increased public trust in drinking water systems. The request by the European Chemicals Agency for companies to submit notifications of intention under the EU Drinking Water Directive (EU 2020/2184) represents an important step toward harmonizing EU requirements for materials that come into contact with drinking water. By introducing an early notification phase before full applications are submitted, the system improves transparency, supports better regulatory planning, reduces duplication of effort, and ensures smoother workload management. ComplianceXL supports companies in managing these requirements by assisting with regulatory monitoring, substance identification, and preparation of the technical documentation required for submissions. FAQs: 1.What is the purpose of the Notification of Intention? The notification of intention informs the European Chemicals Agency that a company plans to submit a full application to add or remove a substance from the EU positive lists for materials that come into contact with drinking water. 2.Is the Notification of Intention the same as a full application? No. The notification is a preliminary step. A full application containing complete technical and scientific data must be submitted at a later stage. 3.Where should notifications be submitted? Notifications must be submitted electronically through the ECHA Industry Portal using the required data format.
SCIP Database Submission Timelines, To Be Compliant With European Commission And ECHA Regulations
As per the European Commission and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the Substances of Concern in Articles or Products (SCIP) database requirements are required to be completed and submitted by January 5th, 2021. Group of industries had requested to delay the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) by 12 months. However, the timeline to transpose EU WFD requirements into national law remained the same on July 5th, 2020. The delay request made to the European Commission also included re-evaluating the efficiency of the SCIP database, including its usefulness, feasibility, proportionality, and impacts. The European Commission and ECHA stand firm on the requirements of EU WFD while creating the SCIP database. According to the European Commission, the group of industries was informed about this submission timeline on May 30th, 2018. The SCIP database ensures that information on articles containing Candidate List substances is available throughout the whole lifecycle of products and materials, including at the waste stage. The information in the database is then made available to waste operators and consumers. Member states will establish enforcement of SCIP data requirements as mandated in the EU WFD. . Besides, the European Environmental Bureau and Client Earth, 49 other non-government organizations (NGO) have supported the decision of the European Commission and ECHA. ECHA published results of an enforcement pilot conducted between the period of October 2017 and December 2018 on November 6th, 2019. According to the findings, 12% of the articles published contained the Candidate list substances above the 0.1% weight by weight (w/w), threshold 88% of those failed to submit the right data to customers. The intention of creating the SCIP database is to maintain data and public transparency. SCIP database is the first digitally available enforcement mechanism that helps to create this kind of transparency. Starting from January 2021. Enforcement agents can hold companies accountable for the responsible handling of each component in their products. This includes every stage starting from raw materials to component recycling or disposal. As per the estimates, it could cost companies manufacturing or selling in Europe Billions of Euros per year to collect, prepare and submit the data required to meet new reporting obligations and ensure continued access to the European markets. Companies are now trying to organize, streamline, and automate the complex process of SCIP database submission. The intention is to make things simpler and allow seamless submission of the SCIP database within the set timelines. The European Commission and ECHA are trying to regulate the process. The SCIP database requires complex data sets for each article containing SVHCs above the threshold, presenting a substantial data burden to companies. Enventure offers a managed solution with your current compliance programs and efficiently scope your supply chain for all SCIP requirements and manage your submission from data acquisition to final upload. Talk to our SCIP Specialist today.