Communication is key, says Jean-Pierre Houri, president of IFRA. He talks to SPC about working with the regulators and educating the media
Jean-Pierre Houri, director general of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), is in pretty buoyant mood. IFRA has recently signed a position paper with a group of other associations related to the fragrance industry (AISE, COLIPA, EFFA, EFEO, IFEAT, UNITIS and EUROPAM) that proposes an Amendment to the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations. Together, these associations represent the whole supply chain from farmers to downstream users of natural ingredients used in fragrance, cosmetics, detergents, maintenance and cleaning products.
The issue relates to natural products which are characterised by a high degree of variability, with aspects such as climate and process by definition being very diverse. With REACH legislation as it is currently proposed, every batch would essentially have to go through the classification process. The Amendment proposes a methodology that would enable testing according to what is in a particular product and would enable registration per group of substances, significantly decreasing the number of dossiers submitted for registration.
Parliament will vote on REACH in November this year and if the Amendment is agreed it will become official some time in the first quarter of 2007.
“This has been the number one item on the agenda for quite some time and there has been a lot of discussion to come up with text that eight associations would approve and that will hopefully be accepted,” says Houri. “I think it has a good chance of being accepted but you never know.” A year ago IFRA proposed the Amendment at the first reading of REACH and at that time it was a sole voice. But first time around only a qualified majority was required. This time it will have to be an absolute majority.
“In the past we have not done enough to help the regulators understand the industry and we do need to communicate better,” admits Houri. “They are receptive to what we have to say. They may not necessarily agree but you do have to have the discussions.” And the communication needs to be constant. The burning item on the agenda next year will be global harmonisation and product labelling. “This will be a totally new piece of legislation and things won’t happen overnight.” In fact Houri estimates it will take more like two years.
“What we want is a chance to input into legislation at the moment of development, not after the event when it takes much more work. If everybody learns then the next time around we start to have an influence.”
IFRA is a great advocate of self regulation. “If we’re serious when we say we behave responsibly then we have no choice but to self regulate,” says Houri. “Self regulation is a serious instrument of responsible care.”
“What we want is a chance to input into legislation at the moment of development” |
Jean-Pierre Houri |
Together with its scientific arm RIFM (the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials), IFRA ensures that the establishment of usage standards for fragrance materials is put into practice according to the available scientific recommendation. IFRA issues an Amendment every year giving new standards for fragrance ingredients and all member companies are required to comply with those standards. To ensure that they are, IFRA is launching a new compliance document. “We began communicating this in May and this month [October] will select a random 50 products worldwide and analyse them,” says Houri. “It’s the first time we’ve done this but we need to ensure standards are being followed. If they’re not there will be dialogue, education and a corrective action plan. The worst case scenario would be that we’d lose in the credibility war - NGOs continuing to attack us without any scientific back-up etc - but I’m hopeful.
“The ideal would be that regulators, media and customers will say the fragrance industry is setting the example for safety of consumers and the environment, and that the IFRA standards are then incorporated into the legislation of individual countries. If something was incorporated into the law then it would be a legal offence not to follow it.”
Most countries are members of IFRA, via their fragrance associations, but there are some exceptions as well as a couple of borderline cases. China for example is currently an observer, which means it must observe the rules and has access to all IFRA/RIFM information but has no seat on the board and can’t vote. Fees for this are lower. India is not yet a member or an observer. “We need to discuss with India whether they can commit on the rules,” says Houri. “As the industry grows, customers should request that their suppliers respect acknowledged standards.”
So there is still a considerable amount of eduction to be done, but IFRA is strengthening relationships with a variety of groups. It has held a number of workshops with the media, including one cosmetics
publishing house where all members of staff were involved. Meanwhile RIFM presented on Quantitative Risk Assessment at Colipa’s General Assembly and Scientific Forum earlier this year. “We also have friends in other disciplines, such as dermatology, who have been helpful as they understand. The more partners we have in other areas to share knowledge the better. It’s a strategy of concentric circles.”
Houri is certainly committed to the fragrance industry and his role within it. He’s been in the industry since 1980 and has been on the IFRA board for many years. “I’m doing what I do because I love it and I’m thoroughly convinced that the fragrance industry deserves a good press.”