Brief Introduction to SCIP submissions

The SCIP database, created under the EU Waste Framework Directive (EU) 2018/851, mandates companies in the EU to report information about articles in their products that contain substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The reporting requirement has been extended to the entire European Economic Area (EEA), which encompasses 27 EU member states and Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). EFTA states could submit notifications to the SCIP database starting November 7, 2022, as the database was updated to accommodate their submissions.

What are the SCIP Reporting Requirements

As of January 5, 2021, the SCIP database became mandatory for companies operating in the European Economic Area (EEA). Submitting to the database is enforced by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and requires companies to create an ECHA SCIP-IT account, provide information on their company, products, articles, and substances, and keep their dossiers updated as new substances are added to the SVHC Candidate List or as company information changes.

For instance, consider a mobile phone with numerous parts/articles. If a PCB manufacturer falls within the scope, they must submit or reference a SCIP dossier for the PCB and its components such as IC slots and screws attaching the IC slots to the PCB. This example only covers the PCB component, the manufacturer may need to file dossiers for each part of the PCB, potentially leading to numerous dossiers for a single product.

SCIP submissions must meet IUCLID formatting standards

• Offline using Internal IT services.
• Online using ECHA Cloud services.
• Through a direct system-to-system transfer.

ECHA recommends collaborating within the supply chain, breaking down complex product hierarchies, and referencing existing dossiers to streamline reporting efforts. Acquis has helped manufacturers submit thousands of dossiers directly to ECHA using its S2S capabilities.

What Companies in EEA Countries Should Know

Since the launch of the SCIP database on January 5, 2021, millions of submissions have been received, but many of them were flawed, putting hundreds of companies at risk of non-compliance with EU Waste Framework Directive requirements. To help companies in Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein meet SCIP requirements, ECHA issued a press release a month after launch with recommendations, such as collaborating within the supply chain, simplifying complex product structures, and using "referencing".

The practice of "referencing" involves linking a manufacturer's SCIP Dossier ID to their supplier's SCIP ID to fulfill requirements. ECHA improved the SCIP database to accept submissions from EFTA states in November 2022.

Companies in EEA can benefit from the expertise of Acquis, we have been assisting manufacturers with SCIP submissions. Our expertise can help new in-scope manufacturers to meet ECHA's requirements and streamline data management efforts. Acquis offers a SCIP solution specifically designed for manufacturers with complex products along with automated System to System submission capability, the platform enables companies to manage all aspects of SCIP requirements in one solution, reducing the cost and risk of human error.

For more assistance reach out to us to stay compliant.