New Requirements for Hazardous Substance Labels
The European Union has revised the CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) on the classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures through Regulation (EU) 2024/2865. The amendment, which entered into force on 10 December 2024, aims to make labels more readable, simplify enforcement and better protect consumers and workers from hazardous chemicals. Manufacturers, importers and distributors across the European Economic Area will face new rules on font size, digital labelling and online sales.
What Actually Changes on the Label?
The regulation introduces minimum font sizes that depend on the volume of the packaging, with a mandatory sans-serif typeface and a line spacing of at least 120 percent of the text size, in black on white. For small packaging (up to 10 millilitres), smaller text may be used as long as it remains clearly legible. Also new is the formal recognition of fold-out labels: the front side must show supplier details, hazard pictograms, the signal word and the languages used, while the inner pages contain the remaining mandatory information. In addition, suppliers may now provide part of the label information digitally via a QR code or other data carrier, alongside the mandatory physical core information. That digital content must remain accessible free of charge and without registration for at least ten years, within a maximum of two mouse clicks.
Consequences for the Entire Supply Chain
The revision also targets online sales. Anyone offering chemicals at a distance must display the hazard information from the label before purchase, and when selling to consumers in the EU, a supplier established in the Union must be responsible for compliance. This is how the EU aims to tackle hazardous products that suppliers from outside Europe sell directly to consumers. Refill stations for household chemicals get their own labelling and safety rules, as part of the European effort against packaging waste. Fixed deadlines now apply for updating labels after a new or stricter classification: six months for a new hazard class or stricter hazard category, eighteen months for other changes. The obligations on formatting and font size, advertising and distance selling were originally due to apply from 1 July 2026 and 1 January 2027, but have been postponed to 1 January 2028 by Regulation (EU) 2025/2439.
Relevance for International EHS Professionals
Although this is EU legislation, its impact is felt worldwide: every employer, importer or supplier placing chemicals on the EU/EEA market must update its labels in time, even if the head office is located outside Europe. The CLP Regulation is the European implementation of the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System (GHS), the worldwide system of classification criteria, hazard pictograms and label elements for chemicals that is also applied in, among others, the United States, China and Japan. The new rules on digital labelling and readability therefore also provide a practical example outside Europe for companies seeking to modernise their labelling policies.
Context
According to the official text in the Official Journal of the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 23 October 2024, published on 20 November 2024, and entered into force on 10 December 2024. The regulation directly amends Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) and is binding in all Member States without the need for national transposition. In December 2025, the EU postponed the key application dates to 1 January 2028 through Regulation (EU) 2025/2439, giving companies more time to adapt labels and processes.
Source: Etichette prodotti chimici: cosa cambia con il Regolamento 2024/2865, October 2026
Additional sources reviewed: CIRS Group – EU Revised CLP Regulation Officially Comes into Effect, Cuatrecasas – The revised Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals enters into force, EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2024/2865, REACH24H – EU delays CLP implementation dates to 2028
