ADCR Renewal and New Applications submitted February 2023
In February 2023 the ADCR Consortium completed the submission of seven review reports (RR) and six new applications for authorisation (AfA) to ECHA. These submissions covered the use of five soluble chromates (chromium trioxide, sodium chromate, sodium dichromate, potassium dichromate and dichromium tris(chromate)) in surface treatment activities in the aerospace and defence (A&D) industry and its supply chains. These supplemented four RR and four AfA previously submitted in November 2022. These include renewals of applications for the original CTACSub, CCST and GCCA consortia. In addition, eight RR and nine AfA have been submitted for review by the UK authorities in accordance with the requirements of the UK REACH Regulation.
Preparation of this first tranche of RRs and AfAs has been supported by over 40 companies across the Aerospace and Defence supply chain, including the largest OEMs in Europe and the UK, as well as importers, formulators and distributors.
The substance/use combinations covered in the first tranche of submissions by the ADCR are shown in the table below. To support the requested review periods, the applications define more clearly each of the substance uses in terms of the actual conditions of use, as well as the associated worker and environmental exposures to the chromates.
More information on the submissions and the next steps following submission can be found in the following communications:
Work on the second tranche
of renewal applications started in 2022 covering substances used in primers and coatings:
- Strontium chromate
- Pentazinc chromate octahydroxide
- Potassium hydroxyoctaozodizincatedichromate
For further information concerning the above or the ADCR consortium, please contact email:
adcr-info@rpaltd.co.uk
Other news items:
On 19 January 2026 Defra granted Decisions for the three initial applications (AFA059, AFA061 and AFA063) which we published as news on 3 February. The granted review period for these three applications is 12 years. The Decisions are available on Authorisation decisions: UK REACH - GOV.UK . The Defra Decision come with a series of conditions that users of chromates should be fulfilling and these measures will apply from the 19 August 2026. To support the sharing of these GB obligations the ADCR Service Team prepared Formal Communication Letters that were shared with the Authorisation Holders for disseminating to their downstream users. These ADCR formal Communication letters have now been added to ADCR Guidance and Support , the letters set out the Authorisation conditions and monitoring arrangements as well for existing stock and REACH Article 66 obligations. For the four review report applications AFA058, AFA060, AFA062 and AFA064, Defra is expecting to make their decisions later in March 2026. As these applications are all review reports the use can continue until Defra makes its decision. The ADCR Service Team will update guidance documents on the ADCR website to cover the obligations of the Defra ADCR Authorisation decisions. The guidance is intended for Downstream Users of soluble chromates in GB. ADCR will also hold a webinar later in spring 2026 (April/May) to present the UK decisions and conditions.