ECHA's Committee for Socio-economic Analysis agrees on how they will evaluate economic feasibility

ECHA/PR/13/12

During its 18^th meeting in Helsinki, the Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) agreed to publish an explanatory note, providing clarifications on how they will evaluate economic feasibility within the context of the application for authorisation procedure.

Helsinki, 12 March 2013 – According to the authorisation procedure, when SEAC formulates its opinion on an application it has to evaluate whether the alternatives to the substance for which authorisation has been applied for are suitable. In the socio-economic analysis, the applicant needs to examine whether there are suitable alternatives for the application through an analysis of alternatives. A suitable alternative should be both technically and economically feasible, and its risks should be lower than those of the substance for which the applicant is seeking authorisation.

Applicants should read SEAC's explanatory note in conjunction with the ECHA guidance on preparing applications for authorisation. By publishing this note, the Committee aims to ensure that applicants consider the full range of relevant alternatives in their applications and that the costs of switching to these alternatives are reasonably and accurately estimated.

The explanatory note is made available on the ECHA website.