CEPE is launching a campaign highlighting the threat to the availability of preservatives, which are used to extend the useful life of everyday items such as coatings, inks, cleaning products and personal care items.

Industry is increasingly concerned that the current EU regulations and review processes are leading to more preservatives being phased out and no new products are being approved to take their place.

“The current regulations have created a lengthy and costly system where manufacturers of preservatives rarely bring new substances to the market,” said Christel Davidson, managing director of CEPE. “In addition, a new review program is leading to a reduction in the number of existing preservatives. The situation is now reaching a breaking point.”

Preservatives are important in extending the useful life of products such as consumer paints and inks, which are waterborne. Without preservatives, the presence of water allows microorganisms to grow, causing damage to the coating product in the can or to the finished coated surface. This would lead to an increase in wasted product and a need for more frequent repainting—directly contradicting the EU’s green and circular ambitions.

CEPE is urging regulators to amend requirements of the Biocidal Product Regulation (BPR), which governs authorization and use of preservatives. As a first and immediate step, allowing risk assessment at the product authorization stage should be made possible. This should overall lead to a more holistic approach to impact assessments, contributing to a better decision-making process and avoid de-facto bans.

“The current regulations are simply not fit for purpose, and we face the very real risk of having no preservatives available for key products like paints, printing inks and artists` colors,” Davidson said. “Reports have already shown the urgent need to revise the Biocidal Products Regulation. We need action now to make sure that manufacturers can continue to supply existing preservatives, so that our members can continue to make properly-preserved paints and inks, while encouraging the innovation and development of new preservatives for the future.”