Unique Formula Identifier (UFI)
UFI, short for Unique Formula Identifier, is a 16-character code that will be required on all labels for mixtures classified for physical or health hazards. Based on the UFI code, poison centers will be able to identify substances in a mixture and provide medical advice if a person should be exposed to hazardous chemicals.
The European Chemical Agency, ECHA, has decided on a joint European Poison Center Notification (PCN). The PCN means that companies, which place hazardous mixtures on the EEA, will be required to register the mixture before it can be sold on the market.
The purpose is to uniformize the requirements for registration of mixtures classified for physical or health hazards within the EEA and make it easier for poison centers to find information on marketed products. As a part of the registration, companies will be obligated to provide information on composition, packaging, color and toxicology.
The result of the registration is a Unique Formula Identifier, UFI, which is a 16-chracter code. The UFI code will be required on labelling and is the piece of information that, along with the trade name, will make it possible for poison centers to identify the mixture and provide guidance if an accident should happen.
Different deadlines apply for the registration of hazardous mixtures depending on who the user of the product is.
- Products intended for consumers
Mixtures sold to consumers need to be registered and labelled with a UFI code by January 1, 2021 - Products intended for professional use
Mixtures sold to professional users need to be registered and labelled with a UFI code by January 1, 2021 - Products intended for industrial use
Mixtures sold to industrial users need to be registered and labelled with a UFI code by January 1, 2024
In Sweden, companies, which have registered a mixture to the Swedish Product Registry by December 31, 2020, have until January 1, 2025 to ensure their products are labelled with the UFI.
If a mixture is not registered and labelled by the deadlines, it can no longer be sold on the market.
Producers and importers who place a mixture classified for physical and health hazards on the market are responsible for registering the mixture and creating the UFI. In Brenntag Nordic we are working hard to prepare for the new requirements. During the autumn of 2019, the first products, which Brenntag Nordic is liable for, will be labelled with a UFI code and already during the first half of 2020 many of our mixtures will bear a UFI.
Some consumer products will not bear the UFI code until some time during 2020, and not already as of January 1, 2020. This is due to the transitional period that runs until 2025 for products already notified to the Swedish Product Registry.
In Brenntag Nordic, we produce our own mixtures, mix for customers and import mixtures from countries outside the EEA.
Customers, who benefit from Brenntag Nordic’s mixing services, need to be aware that as the owner of the product, they are responsible for registering the mixture, creating the UFI code and ensure the label bears the UFI code. In addition, companies should be aware that the mixture needs to be registered in all marketed countries.
As an importer, Brenntag Nordic is responsible for registering mixtures imported from outside the EEA to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In Brenntag Nordic, we will do our outmost to ensure products are registered and UFI codes are created before the deadlines. If you are purchasing products from Brenntag Nordic that are imported from outside the EEA and have questions regarding the registration of the mixture, you can contact our Nordic QSHE department.
You can find more information about deadlines, registration of mixtures and how to create a UFI on ECHA’s website.