Under the Chemicals sectors, numerous Technical Committees (TCs) focus on specific products that are particularly relevant for the European market and/or subject to a European legislation.
These TCs are responsible – among others – for the standardization of terminology, specifications test methods, classifications, and environmental aspects of the products falling under their scope.
Plastics
Plastics are all around us, as they are used in many sectors such as packaging, construction, automotive, electronic components, agriculture and many more. Although they bring many benefits in terms of availability, versatility, and durability, they also pose huge environmental and health issues when they end up in the nature.
In December 2015, the Commission adopted an EU Action Plan for a circular economy, where plastics were identified as a priority area. Resulting from that, in 2018 the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy was adopted to concretely tackle the challenges posed by plastics throughout the value chain and taking into account their entire life cycle.
Resulting from that strategy is the Circular Plastics Alliance – CPA – collecting organizations representing industry, academia, and public authorities and aiming at boosting the EU market for recycled plastics to 10 million tonnes by 2025. CEN-CENELEC is a signatory of the CPA declaration, which identifies standards as a key tool to reach the recycled plastics target.
CEN/TC 249 'Plastics' is the dedicated Technical Committee in charge of the standardization of terminology, test methods, specifications, classifications & designation systems, environmental aspects, joining systems and techniques, of plastics, plastic-based materials, semi-finished products and products.
End-products entirely or partially made of plastics are also addressed in other specialized Technical Committees (e.g. dealing with packaging, construction products, Electrical & Electronics Engineering etc.).
Fertilising products
The new Fertilising Products Regulation (Reg. (EU) 2019/1009) introduces new requirements related to quality, safety, and labelling of fertilizing products and extends the scope to organic fertilizers, organo-mineral fertilizers, growing media, biostimulants, and others. The Regulation harmonizes EU rules for products derived from waste organic materials and by products, and provides rules to recover nutrients into secondary raw materials – largely boosting the EU Circular Economy.
CEN/TC 223 'Soil improvers and growing media', CEN/TC 260 'Fertilizers and liming materials', and CEN/TC 455 'Plant biostimulants' are the three Technical Committees in charge of developing deliverables to ensure full harmonization of fertilizing products on the European Single Market under the Fertilizing Products Regulation, standardizing terminology, specifications, testing methods for safety and environmental criteria of the fertilizing products.
Explosives for civil use
Since 2016, the ‘Explosives for Civil Use’ Directive (Dir. 2014/28/EU) has been applicable within the EU, recasting its predecessor from 1993. The scope of the Directive includes blasting for mining and aims at achieving a secure, safe and competitive market within the EU.
Based on the Standardization Request M/562, in 2021 CEN/TC 321 ‘Explosives for civil uses’ has been tasked to revise more than 50 standards, establishing safety requirements, terminology, categorization and test methods that will allow manufacturers to comply with Directive 2014/28/EU.
Pyrotechnic articles
The 'Pyrotechnic articles' Directive (Dir. 2013/29 /EU) lays down the essential safety requirements (ESR) that pyrotechnic articles must comply with before being placed on the EU market, and repeals its predecessor from 2007.
CEN/TC 212 'Pyrotechnic articles' is the Technical Committee responsible of the standardization of fireworks, theatrical pyrotechnic articles, pyrotechnic articles for vehicles and other pyrotechnic articles, particularly from the point of view of their safe use. CEN/TC 212 is also tasked with developing and reviewing standards in relation to Directive 2013/29 /EU.
Bio-based products
Bio-based products are wholly or partly derived from materials of biological origin, excluding materials embedded in geological formations and/or fossilized.
The EU has declared the bio-based products sector to be a priority area with high potential for future growth, reindustrialization, and addressing societal challenges. They are addressed in numerous policies (e.g. the bioeconomy strategy and the Circular Economy Action Plan).
CEN/TC 411 'Bio-based products' develops standards covering horizontal aspects of the bio-based products, such as terminology, sampling, bio-based content, and sustainability criteria.
