ATPs: What Exactly Are They? 

Earlier this year, a new ATP came into effect: ATP 21. It is currently in a transitional period until September 5, 2025, after which it will become mandatory! 

But what exactly is an ATP? ATP stands for ‘Adaptation to Technical Progress.’ It is a regular update of an EU Regulation, published in the official ‘Official Journal of the European Union.’ 

In the case of the CLP regulation, an ATP might involve changes or additions to harmonized classifications of substances in Table 3 of Annex VI (the classifications of individual substances that are mandatory in the European Union!). Additionally, an ATP update might also include minor changes to the legal text of Annex VI of CLP. 

For example, ATP 19 included the addition of certain notes. ATP 20 implemented these notes for specific substances. Want to learn more about the notes from ATP 19? Check out our webinar on this topic. 

Do these ATP updates happen often? 

Looking at recent years, we see that from August 2020 to January 2024, ATPs 15 through 21 were published. So, you could say that ATP updates are announced with great regularity. 

Considering that each ATP has a transitional period of more than a year—since it takes time for all links in the supply chain to implement the correct classification—these updates follow each other in quick succession. 

Legally, any change in legislation that applies to your product requires an update of its classification and Safety Data Sheet (SDS). So, it could be that just as you've gotten all your SDSs in order, a new ATP update is published, meaning you’ll need to adjust all your SDSs and labels again. Fortunately, there’s always a transitional period, giving you time to implement these changes. 

Who needs to pay attention to ATPs? 

Essentially, anyone placing chemical substances or mixtures on the market. The ATP indicates which classifications of substances have been added or modified. If you sell chemical substances, it is crucial that you classify them correctly to avoid future issues! 

Since ATP updates are not the only changes that need to be considered (hello, new CLP and REACH revisions!), we can imagine that you might have questions about the modification of a classification.  

Do you have a question about an ATP update or doubt the classification of your product? Let us know, and we’ll be happy to help. Contact us at info@thesdsfactory.com or give us a call at +31 (0) 85 009 2200.