Climate & nature
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
REACH
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
No data, no market: chemicals manufactured or imported at a tonne or more need a registration, and the most harmful ones can be restricted or need an authorisation to stay.
Does this hit me?
You can ask a supplier whether an article contains a candidate-list substance above 0.1%. SCIP notifications sit with ECHA. You do not register a household bottle.
Check in the wizardPick a country in the header to see who enforces this at home. Union text is not the last word for directives.
How it rolls in
2007
Entered into force.
2010–2018
Staggered registration deadlines by tonnage.
Ongoing
Restrictions, authorisations, candidate-list updates, possible revision.
Why it exists
The Union shifted the proof burden onto industry. ECHA and Member States then evaluate, restrict, and authorise.
What actually changes
- Registration with ECHA above 1 tonne per year, with a technical dossier that scales with tonnage.
- SVHC candidate list, authorisation list (Annex XIV), restriction list (Annex XVII) — living instruments.
- Supply-chain communication (safety data sheets, Article 33 for candidate-list substances in articles).
- A revision debate continues; the current regulation is still the one you file under.
How it hits you
You can ask a supplier whether an article contains a candidate-list substance above 0.1%. SCIP notifications sit with ECHA. You do not register a household bottle.
For citizens
What this does to everyday life
Rights, bills, and what you can ignore. You are usually not the one who files — companies and states are.
You can ask what is in an article
If a product contains a candidate-list substance above 0.1%, the supplier must tell you. SCIP is ECHA’s public window on articles.
Rights you actually get
- Article 33 information within 45 days
- Safer workplace chemicals via employer duties
Costs and trade-offs
- Some articles get reformulated or withdrawn.
What you can do
- Email the brand: ‘Does this contain REACH candidate-list substances above 0.1%?’
What you can ignore
- You do not register household chemicals as a consumer.
If something goes wrong
National REACH helpdesk; ECHA website.
More citizen notes across files: For people
Heard this? Not quite.
Claim: REACH is only for chemical plants.
Importers of articles, brands, and downstream users are routinely in. A sofa can be a REACH object.
Latest official statements
All EU NewsNo tagged Commission, Parliament or Council statement in the current feeds.
Board one-pager
Board one-pager
Who this is for: EU manufacturers, energy and importers. Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. In force since 2007; restrictions and authorisations still move.
Scope
- You manufacture or import substances/mixtures, or you place articles containing substances of very high concern on the EU market.
First 90 days
- This month: Inventory substances, tonnages, and only-representative status.
- This quarter: Article 33 process for candidate-list substances in articles.
Penalties: National enforcement: fines, seizure, criminal law in some States; ECHA dossier evaluation.
For companies
How to stay on the right side of this file
Practical order of work, not a substitute for counsel. Manufacturers, importers and downstream users of substances, mixtures and articles.
You are probably
Manufacturers, importers and downstream users of substances, mixtures and articles.
Effort
Treat as an operating process, not a project.
Budget
SME: owner time plus one honest vendor. Large: a named lead, not a taskforce slide.
Roles in this file
The same company can wear more than one hat. Classify before you buy a tool.
EHS / regulatory
This pack names EHS / regulatory as an owner of early work.
Inventory substances, tonnages, and only-representative status.
Procurement + legal
This pack names Procurement + legal as an owner of early work.
Article 33 process for candidate-list substances in articles.
Are you in scope?
Act now- You manufacture or import substances/mixtures, or you place articles containing substances of very high concern on the EU market.
Usually not, if
- A pure software firm with no goods.
- Tonnage below 1 t/y with no SVHC-in-articles issue — still check restrictions.
First moves
- This monthInventory substances, tonnages, and only-representative status.EHS / regulatory
- This quarterArticle 33 process for candidate-list substances in articles.Procurement + legal
- If you import, you may be the registrant. A lapsed only-representative leaves you exposed.
If you skip this
- Assuming ‘articles’ are out.
- SDS that is a work of fiction.
Done looks like
- Registration numbers
- SDS
- SCIP notifications
- Authorisation / restriction tracking
Keep this evidence
- Registration numbers
- SDS
- SCIP notifications
- Authorisation / restriction tracking
Ask vendors
- What is the REACH registration number?
- Does this article contain candidate-list substances above 0.1%?
Where programmes usually break
- Assuming ‘articles’ are out.
- SDS that is a work of fiction.
Call counsel when
- National enforcement: fines, seizure, criminal law in some States; ECHA dossier evaluation.
- A supervisor letter, a dawn information request, or a deal that warrants this file.
Enforcement
National enforcement: fines, seizure, criminal law in some States; ECHA dossier evaluation.
ECHA; national REACH inspectorates.
Need a stack, not one file? Open the company desk
Professional briefing
Legal architecture and duties
For counsel, compliance, and policy teams. Not advice. The Official Journal still wins.
- Instrument
- Regulation
- Legal basis
- Art 114 TFEU · Regulation (EC) 1907/2006
- Application
- In force since 2007. Lists and restrictions still move. A revision is political, not a reason to freeze the current file.
No data, no market. Registration, evaluation, authorisation, restriction. Importers of articles are routinely in. ECHA is the hub; inspectorates are national.
How the file is built
Registration (Title II)
≥1 t/y, dossier scales with band.
Authorisation / restriction
Annex XIV and XVII; candidate list as the warning layer.
Operators
| Role | Who | Core duties |
|---|---|---|
| Registrant | EU manufacturer or importer (or only representative). | Dossier, updates, fees. |
| Downstream user / article supplier | Uses substances or sells articles. | SDS, Art 33, SCIP where required. |
Scope
Manufacture in the Union or import into the Union.
In
- Substances on their own, in mixtures, in articles as specified
Out, or narrower than assumed
- Some wastes, medicinal products, food as carved out
- Tonnage below 1 t/y for registration — restrictions can still bite
Operative provisions
| Anchor | Rule | What it does in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Art 33 | Duty to communicate candidate-list substances in articles ≥0.1%. | A consumer or professional can ask; you must answer. |
| Art 56–59 | Authorisation for Annex XIV substances. | Sunset dates are real. |
Secondary law and guidance
- ECHA guidance
- Candidate list updates
- Restriction dossiers
National layer. Enforcement (helpdesks, inspections) is national. Registration is Union-level at ECHA.
How it sits with other files
Enforcement and private rights
Who
ECHA (evaluation); national inspectorates.
Tools
Dossier rejection, fines, seizure.
Private rights
Art 33 information; tort if harm.
Risk register
| Risk | Signal | Control |
|---|---|---|
| OR lapse | Non-EU manufacturer’s only representative resigns | Import-stop plan and re-registration. |
Open issues
- Revision timing.
- Polymer registration.
- Enforcement intensity on articles.
Primary sources
No data, no market: chemicals manufactured or imported at a tonne or more need a registration, and the most harmful ones can be restricted or need an authorisation to stay.
You feel it now
Duties are already live.
Next
In force since 2007; restrictions and authorisations still move
Where it lands
| Channel | People | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | You can ask a supplier whether an article contains a candidate-list substance above 0.1%. SCIP notifications sit with ECHA. You do not register a household bottle. | ≥1 t/y per manufacturer/importer — the dossier scales with tonnage. |
| Articles | You can ask a supplier whether an article contains a candidate-list substance above 0.1%. SCIP notifications sit with ECHA. You do not register a household bottle. | Candidate-list substances above 0.1% w/w: communicate and, where required, notify. |
Who gains
Workers and the environment if evaluation is real; competitors who already substituted.
Who pays
Registrants and downstream users, in data, substitution, and fees.
Who pays
Registrants and downstream users, in data, substitution, and fees.
Who benefits
Workers and the environment if evaluation is real; competitors who already substituted.
Read the official text