What is a CMC, and must all ingredients have a CMC?

Component Material Categories (CMCs) is a taxonomy system used to categorise the types of materials that can be used in EU fertilising products. Each CMC specifies criteria and requirements for different kinds of materials used in fertilising products. 

Every ingredient, even those in quantities as small as 0.001% must have an assigned CMC and you must in your technical documentation show that the ingredient shows its compliance against the assigned CMC. 

For example for CMC 1, this article is relevant: How to prove compliance against the REACH+ requirements of CMC 1,4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Any ingredient that can comply with 1 of the 15 CMCs can be used in an EU fertilising product. 

There are currently 15 CMC's: 

CMC 1: Virgin material substances and mixtures

CMC 2: Plants, plant parts or plant extracts

CMC 3: Compost

CMC 4: Fresh crop digestate

CMC 5: Digestate other than fresh crop digestate

CMC 6: Food industry by-products

CMC 7: Micro-organisms

CMC 8: Nutrient polymers

CMC 9: Polymers other than nutrient polymers

CMC 10: Derived products within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009

CMC 11: By-products within the meaning of Directive 2008/98/EC

CMC 12: Precipitated phosphate salts and derivates

CMC 13: Thermal oxidation materials and derivates

CMC 14: Pyrolysis and gasification materials

CMC 15: Recovered high purity materials