Latest update: 19/03/2021

Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 - classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP)

of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Text with EEA relevance)

This Regulation repealed Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC as of 1 June 2015.

Objective

The purpose of this Regulation is to harmonise the criteria for classification of substances and mixtures, and the rules on labelling and packaging for hazardous substances and mixtures. It also aims at establishing a classification and labelling inventory of substances.

This Directive shall not apply to non-isolated intermediates, waste, medicines, cosmetics, food and feeding stuffs, and substances and mixtures that are either radioactive, or subjects to custom supervision, or used for scientific research and are non-marketed.

This Regulation shall not apply to the transport of dangerous goods by air, sea, road, rail or inland waterways except for for labelling of outer packaging, inner packaging and single packaging.

Definitions:

The Regulation defines terms: hazard class, hazard category, hazard pictogram, signal word, Danger, Warning, hazard statement, precautionary statement, substance, mixture, article, producer of an article, polymer, monomer, registrant, manufacturing, manufacturer, import, importer, placing on the market, downstream user, distributor, intermediate, non-isolated intermediate, the Agency, competent authority, use, supplier, alloy, UN RTDG, notifier, scientific research and development, cut-off value, concentration limit, differentiation, M-factor, package, packaging, intermediate packaging.

Contents

Title I sets general obligations to manufacturers, importers and downstream users to classify, label and package substances or mixtures. A hazardous substance/mixture must be classified in relation to its features (physical/health/environmental hazards) as in Annex I.

Title II deals with hazard classification (identification, examination and evaluation of information, and decision on classification).

Title III is about the hazard communication in the form of labelling (content of the label, hazard pictograms, signal words, location of the label)

Title IV orders that packaging has to be strong and solid enough to endure general handling. It must not adversely react with the content. The packaging should prevent leakage and should not look misleadingly.

Title V has as subject the harmonisation of classification and labelling of substances and the classification and labelling inventory. The content is closely linked to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.

Title VI is about competent authorities and enforcement.

Title VII (Common and final provisions) regulates advertisement, maintaining information and sets out special clauses. It also details the modifications of Directives 67/548/EEC, 1999/45/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.

The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts to promote harmonisation of classification and labelling, emergency health response and preventive measures, and to adapt the Annexes according to technical and scientific progress.

Annexes

Annex I: Classification and labelling requirements for hazardous substances and mixtures

Annex II: Special rules for labelling and packaging of certain substances and mixtures

Annex III: List of hazard statements, supplemental hazard information and supplemental label elements

Annex IV: List of precautionary statements

Annex V: Hazard pictograms

Annex VI: Harmonised classification and labelling for certain hazardous substances

Annex VII: Translation table from classification under Directive 67/548/EEC to classification under this Regulation

Read the full text of the consolidated version of the Regulation (including later amendments)

Read the full text of the original version of the Regulation (without amendments)

Further information on this topic

This legal act is a regulation thus applying directly in the Member States - no national implementing measures are required.

More inFurther information on the CLP regulation is available on the ECHA website