Latin America. UNECE's Annual Report 2024, released on 10 April 2025, provides an accurate overview of the growing impact of chemical legislation on the European paints, printing inks and colours industry for artists.
One of the points, according to UNECE, is that European regulations are moving away from an approach based on the actual risk of exposure to adopt criteria focused exclusively on the intrinsic danger of chemical substances. In the words of the report: "An approach based exclusively on danger [...] leads to disproportionate and counterproductive legislative decisions."
Faced with this scenario, the organisation has redoubled its institutional participation in Brussels, maintaining a constant dialogue with the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and other EU entities. It has also collaborated with other industry associations to present technical and economic studies that warn of the adverse effects of applying principles such as "zero exposure" without a proportional risk analysis.
A contrast with Latin America: less restrictive and more flexible regulations
Although Europe is moving towards an increasingly restrictive and technocratic regulatory model, in Latin America the direction remains more gradual and diverse. States such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia have established chemical regulations based on REACH or the GHS (Globally Harmonized System), despite having longer adaptation periods, personalized evaluations and a greater willingness to consult with industry.
Unlike the European Union, where policies are generally based on precautionary criteria, in the Latin American region a logic of productive compatibility predominates, seeking to balance environmental protection with the economic and industrial state of the region.
