Starting 31 March 2025, there will be significant updates to the UK Chemicals Helpline which are significant for UK fashion and textile businesses, including changes to the support available for various regulations and non-approval decisions for specific active substances. Read on for details.

Important Changes to UK Chemicals Helpline and Non-Approval Decisions for Active Substances – Effective from 31 March 2025

From 31 March 2025, the UK Chemicals Helpline will continue to offer assistance for UK REACH enquiries via the number 0330 159 1985, but will no longer provide support for queries related to the following regulations:

• UK Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR)
• Prior Informed Consent Regulations (PIC)
• Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulations (CLP)

For queries related to BPR, PIC, or CLP after 31 March 2025, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will continue to provide support, but you will need to contact the relevant helpdesk services directly. To find out how to contact the appropriate team, please visit the following webpages for more details:

• BPR
• PIC
• CLP

Non-Approval Decisions for Unsupported Active Substances in the EU

The EU Review Programme has withdrawn support for certain active substance/product type combinations. As a result, industry support for these substances is no longer available. Specifically, the following active substances in Northern Ireland (NI) will be subject to non-approval decisions:

• Pyrithione zinc (zinc pyrithione) (CAS 13463-41-7, EC 236-671-3) in product types 2 and 10
• Reaction products of 5,5-dimethylhydantoin, 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin with bromine and chlorine (DCDMH) (CAS N/A, EC N/A) in product type 11
• Reaction products of 5,5-dimethylhydantoin, 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin with chlorine (DCEMH) (CAS N/A, EC N/A) in product type 11
• Chlorine dioxide (CAS 10049-04-4, EC 233-162-8) in product type 12
• 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT) (CAS 2634-33-5, EC 220-120-9) in product type 2

Once a non-approval decision is taken for these substances, they will no longer be authorized in biocidal products of the relevant product types. Additionally, articles treated with such substances will not be allowed to be placed on the market.

HSE will provide separate updates regarding these decisions, including details about the phase-out periods and any further actions that may be required.

What you need to do

If you are aware of any disproportionate negative impacts that are likely to arise due to the non-approval of the active substance/product type combinations listed above, it is important that you contact HSE as soon as possible. This will help ensure that all concerns are properly considered in the decision-making process.

Stay informed and make sure to regularly check the relevant regulatory webpages (as listed above) for updates on these changes. The UK Chemicals Helpline will continue to support UK REACH queries, but for BPR, PIC, and CLP inquiries, the appropriate helpdesk services should be contacted directly.

New UKFT guide to chemical compliance: Coming soon

UKFT is set to launch the fourth issue of the Sustainability 101 series offering guidance about chemical compliance for UK fashion and textile businesses, including key regulations, applicable standards and certifications, testing guidelines and a Restricted Substance List. The guide will be available to UKFT members, alongside all other guides in the Sustainability 101 series.

UKFT members

If you are a UKFT member with questions, get in touch at info@ukft.org

For details on how to become a member, visit www.ukft.org/membership