ReferencePolicy

Data Sources, Licensing & How We Maintain This

Note: general educational information, not legal advice. Check the official source before relying on it.

Where the data in this knowledge base comes from, how we keep our own maintained copy, and the licensing basis for reusing official EU and ECHA information.

Updated
2026-07-07

Our approach: a maintained, attributed copy#

This knowledge base keeps its own curated copy of reference data (substance lists, exemptions, annex maps) rather than linking out to PDFs. Every dataset carries its source, a last-updated date, and a note to verify against the official source before relying on it for a compliance decision.

Key point

We don't replace the official record. We make it usable (searchable, filterable, cross-linked) and always point back to the authoritative source.

Can we reuse official EU / ECHA data?#

In general the answer is yes, with attribution, but this is a question to confirm with legal counsel for each dataset, not a legal opinion.

EU legislation (EUR-Lex)
EUR-Lex is the official EU legislation database and our primary source for legal texts. They are generally free to reuse; the Commission's reuse decision (2011/833/EU) permits reuse of Commission documents with source acknowledgment.
EU open data
Much EU data on data.europa.eu is published under CC-BY 4.0 (attribution).
ECHA information
ECHA's legal notice allows reproduction of individual items with a source credit (© ECHA), but prohibits copying a whole or substantial part of its databases (e.g. the Candidate List) without written permission, and excludes third-party data such as CAS numbers (property of the American Chemical Society). We therefore link to ECHA's databases and reproduce only limited, illustrative extracts.
Our duty
Attribute the source, date the copy, don't imply official endorsement, and keep it accurate.
Not legal advice

Reuse terms differ per source and can change. Some entries may include third-party or restricted data. Before publishing a full imported dataset, confirm the specific licence and attribution requirements with the source's legal notice and our counsel.

What that means in practice#

  • Attribute every dataset (e.g. "Source: ECHA Candidate List" / "Source: EUR-Lex, Directive 2011/65/EU consolidated").
  • Date-stamp each copy so users know how current it is.
  • Link back to the official source on every table.
  • Re-sync on a schedule (the Candidate List changes about twice a year; RoHS exemptions are amended periodically).
  • Flag uncertainty so that partial or in-progress datasets say so plainly.

Currently maintained datasets#

These are compiled from official sources and maintained manually by the Pareo team. They aim to be complete, but they are not the official registers and not guaranteed current. Each carries a source link for verification.

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Connections

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Data Sources, Licensing & How We Maintain ThisData sourcesSVHC Candidate List: Selected ExamplesCandidate ListKey Annexes: REACH, RoHS, CLP & POPAnnexesRoHS Exemptions: Searchable Reference (Annex III & IV)RoHS exemptionsREACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of ChemicalsREACHRoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances (Directive 2011/65/EU)RoHSSVHC: Substance of Very High ConcernSVHCECHA: European Chemicals AgencyECHARestriction (REACH)RestrictionCAS NumberCAS NumberAuthorisation (REACH)Authorisation
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