One in five hazardous mixtures non‑compliant: act on your Poison Centre Notification (PCN) obligations now

On 11 February 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published new findings: 19% of hazardous mixtures checked across 18 EU/EEA countries had not been notified to poison centres, as required under the EU’s Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation.

This gap in compliance has real-world implications. When poison centres lack the data they need, their ability to guide frontline medical staff in an emergency is compromised. The consequences could be serious for both patients and your compliance status. Below, we break down the findings and what companies should be doing now.

Key findings from ECHA’s pilot enforcement project

The pilot project aimed to improve consistency across Member States, and saw ECHA inspectors assess 1,597 hazardous mixtures across 18 EU/EEA countries. The results revealed several concerning compliance gaps:

• 19% of mixtures were not reported to national poison centres.
• 15% were missing the Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) on the product label, a critical tool to help poison centres quickly identify a mixture after an exposure incident. 
• Compliance varied by company size and country of origin, indicating that certain supply chains may face greater challenges meeting PCN requirements.
• Inconsistencies were identified between the PCN submission, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and product labelling, creating potential obstacles and delays for poison centres trying to verify product identity during emergencies.
• Cooperation between companies, Appointed Bodies, and poison centres varied significantly, highlighting communication gaps that may delay or weaken the emergency response chain.

Chris Van den hole, Chair of the ECHA Working Group overseeing the project, emphasized that missing notifications directly undermines emergency response effectiveness, urging stronger actions from companies and authorities.

How regulators responded

Where non-compliance was detected, inspectors issued a range of enforcement actions, including:

• Written and verbal advice
• Administrative orders
• Fines
• In more serious cases, criminal complaints

Several cases remain open as regulators continue to follow up.

Legal obligations under CLP

Under the CLP Regulation, companies placing hazardous mixtures on the market must submit notifications to the appointed national bodies. This applies to mixtures classified for human health or physical hazards.

It is important to note that some member-states have additional national regulations that must be complied with before products are placed on the market.

What this means for industry

This latest enforcement round sends a clear message: regulators expect full compliance, and they are willing to escalate enforcement actions when businesses fall short.

For companies handling or supplying hazardous mixtures, the key priorities should include:

• Ensuring all hazardous mixtures are notified and kept up to date via the ECHA Poison Centre Notification (PCN) portal.
• Verifying that every product label (or SDS for ‘industrial use only’ products) includes a UFI where required.
• Alignment between PCN, SDS and product labels.
• Training supply chain partners on their obligations.
• Reviewing internal compliance systems to prevent gaps.

Why this matters now

As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, companies that fail to meet their obligations risk not only enforcement measures and reputational damage, but also jeopardise the emergency response in an incident, ultimately putting people’s health at risk.

How can Ricardo help

If the findings from ECHA’s pilot project have raised concerns about gaps in your own SDSs, labels, UFIs or PCN submissions, Ricardo can support you in getting back on track. Our experts can carry out a compliance audit to identify inconsistencies, outdated classifications, missing data, or issues introduced through supply chain complexity.

Ricardo’s experts help businesses:

• Align SDSs with the most current CLP and REACH requirements
• Ensure labels and UFIs are correctly applied across all markets
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date PCNs, preventing discrepancies and enforcement risks
• Strengthen internal processes to keep future submissions consistent and compliant

For non-EU suppliers, Ricardo can also act as an EU Legal Entity, enabling you to submit a voluntary notification and generate a UFI without disclosing confidential formulation data to downstream customers. This approach helps you support your EU importers with their PCN obligations while protecting proprietary information.

Whether you’re preparing for REF-14 or simply want to stay ahead of regulatory shifts, Ricardo can assess the impact of changes, manage your UFIs, and keep your compliance running smoothly – so you can focus on your core business with confidence.

Contact our regulatory compliance experts today >