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EXPERTISE · CLP

CLP — Classification, Labelling and Packaging

The UK and EU implementation of the UN Globally Harmonised System (GHS), setting out how substances and mixtures must be classified, labelled and communicated.

Getting classification and labelling right.

The CLP Regulation sets out how substances and mixtures must be classified for their hazards, and the labelling and safety data sheet requirements that follow from that classification.
We support classification decisions, label content reviews and safety data sheet alignment, so hazard information is accurate, defensible and correctly communicated through the supply chain.
✓Substance and mixture classification support
✓Label content, GHS pictogram and format reviews
✓Safety data sheet (SDS) authoring, auditing and alignment checks
✓Notification obligations under CLP
HAZARD CLASSES

Three hazard groups, and the classification that follows.

CLP groups hazards into physical, health and environmental hazard classes, each split into categories that determine which pictograms, signal words and hazard statements apply. Classification is the first step; the label and safety data sheet follow from it.

Physical hazards
Explosives, flammable gases and liquids, oxidising substances, gases under pressure, corrosive-to-metals and similar properties that create a direct physical risk.
Health hazards
Acute toxicity, corrosion or irritation, sensitisation, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, and other effects on human health from single or repeated exposure.
Environmental hazards
Hazardous to the aquatic environment, and hazards to the ozone layer, covering the effects a substance or mixture can have once released into the environment.
LABELLING & COMMUNICATION

What the label has to say, and what sits behind it.

A CLP label must carry the product identifier, hazard pictograms, signal word, hazard and precautionary statements and supplier details for every classified substance or mixture. Getting the classification right matters because the label content, and much of the safety data sheet, follow directly from it.

Mixtures classified as hazardous also need a Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) on the label, linked to a poison centre notification, so emergency responders can access the exact composition if needed.

Some mixtures also require an extended safety data sheet (eSDS), with exposure scenarios annexed covering the conditions of use the classification and risk assessment are based on.

✓Classification review against physical, health and environmental hazard criteria
✓Label content, pictogram and statement accuracy checks
✓Safety data sheet alignment with the current classification
✓UFI generation and poison centre notification support
✓Extended SDS (eSDS) and exposure scenario support

See our dedicated Safety Data Sheets page for how we author and assess SDS in full.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Your CLP duties depend on your role in the supply chain.

The same substance or mixture can carry different duties depending on whether you manufacture it, import it, formulate it into a mixture, or distribute it unchanged. We help establish your role for each product and what it means for classification and labelling.

Manufacturer
You produce a substance or mixture and carry the primary duty to classify it correctly before it is placed on the market, and to notify the relevant authority of that classification.
Importer
You bring a substance or mixture into Great Britain or the EU from outside. You take on the same classification, labelling and notification duties as a manufacturer for the products you import.
Downstream user / formulator
You use substances to produce a mixture. You need to classify that mixture correctly, based on the classification of the substances within it and any mixture-specific test data.
Distributor
You supply a substance or mixture without altering its composition. You are responsible for making sure the label and packaging you supply it in remain correct and unaltered.
HOW WE HELP

Bringing consistency to classification, labels and safety data sheets.

Classification decisions sit underneath a lot of other work: the label, the safety data sheet, transport documentation and downstream REACH and RoHS positions all depend on getting it right first.
We help review and evidence classification decisions, check labels and safety data sheets against the current classification, and support UFI generation and poison centre notification, so hazard communication stays accurate as products, formulations and thresholds change.
✓Substance and mixture classification review and evidence
✓Label and safety data sheet accuracy checks
✓UFI generation and poison centre notification support
✓Alignment with REACH, RoHS and wider material compliance
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