Overview
UK REACH is the chemicals regime for Great Britain after Brexit. Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales. It mirrors EU REACH but runs as a separate system with its own registrations and its own list of substances of very high concern.
UK REACH covers Great Britain only. Northern Ireland still follows EU REACH under the Windsor Framework.
How it works
The Health and Safety Executive administers UK REACH, working with the Environment Agency. The structure copies EU REACH, but the two regimes are not joined. UK REACH maintains its own registrations and its own candidate list of substances of very high concern.
EU and GB markets
A company that sells chemicals or articles into both the EU and Great Britain can fall under both regimes at once.
Because the candidate lists are maintained separately, a substance can sit on one and not the other. Suppliers selling across both markets should track each list on its own.
How it relates to other topics
- EU REACH is the parent the GB regime was copied from.
- UK RoHS is the matching post-Brexit regime for hazardous substances in electronics.
- The candidate list names substances of very high concern.
Note: this is general educational information, not legal advice. Check the official source before you rely on it.