Evaluation (REACH)

Overview#

Evaluation is the "E" of REACH. It is the stage where authorities look behind the data that registration produces — checking that dossiers are complete and correct, and examining substances where a concern remains. It does not, by itself, ban or restrict anything; it clarifies whether further risk management is needed and can feed into authorisation or restriction.

Evaluation has two distinct branches: dossier evaluation, carried out by ECHA, and substance evaluation, carried out by Member State competent authorities.

Dossier evaluation#

Dossier evaluation is carried out by ECHA and looks at individual registration dossiers. It has two parts:

• Compliance check — ECHA checks whether a dossier meets REACH's information requirements. Where data is missing, it can require the registrant to supply it by a set deadline.
• Examination of testing proposals — before a registrant may carry out certain new tests, especially tests on vertebrate animals for the higher tonnage bands, ECHA must examine and approve the proposal. This screens out unnecessary animal testing.

Substance evaluation#

Substance evaluation looks at a whole substance rather than a single dossier, to clarify a suspected risk to health or the environment. It is carried out by Member State competent authorities and coordinated by ECHA.

Substances selected for this are placed on the CoRAP (Community rolling action plan), a list updated each year. The evaluating authority may ask registrants for further information to settle the concern.

Where it sits in REACH#

Evaluation is the bridge between the broad baseline of registration and the targeted controls of authorisation and restriction. It does not create market bans on its own; it makes sure the data is sound and decides which substances need a closer look.