Publishing Industry Product Safety Forum (PIPS) launches this month and will feature an industry compliance database to assist publishers and suppliers in their efforts to conform to REACH and the revised Toy Safety Directive, which force them to produce reports on the chemicals present in their publications. Specifications covered will include a wide variety of inks, varnishes, laminates, adhesives and other finishes that are applied to paper and board.

The proposal, which Egmont produced in conjunction with CSR business Acona, has been backed by the Publisher’s Association with companies such as Bonnier Publishing Group, Harper Collins, Little Tiger, Macmillan, Penguin and Reed Elsevier forming the founding base of the forum.

Alison Kennedy, production director at Egmont UK said: "This is fantastic news and a important opportunity to work more closely with our supply chain to gain a better understanding and take greater responsibility for our products.

"Pulling together the vast expertise from across our industry will be beneficial for all of us in dealing with this complex new legislation."

PIPS, which also counts Simon & Schuster and Usborne as founding members expects membership to grow in the coming months. For more information, contact peter.degraaf@ancona.com.