Overview#
REACH is the EU's master rulebook for chemicals. Companies must know and register which substances they use, and the riskiest ones are tracked, restricted or only allowed with explicit permission.
Key point
The name describes the process: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction. For products, the part that bites is the SVHC Candidate List together with the 0.1%-in-an-article communication duty.
The four pillars#
The name tracks the process, and each letter is a stage that tightens control over the riskiest substances.
RRegistration
Manufacturers and importers register substances placed on the EU market (generally at or above 1 t/year) with safety data.
AAuthorisation
The most hazardous substances (Annex XIV) may only be used with time-limited authorisation.
RRestriction
Restriction (Annex XVII) bans or limits certain substances and uses outright.
What matters most for products and articles#
For an article maker, one number drives most of the work: 0.1% by weight of a Candidate List SVHC. Once you cross it, a set of obligations follows.
1SVHC over 0.1% in an article
A Candidate List substance is present above the threshold.
2Article 33 communication
Inform customers down the chain, and consumers on request.
3Article 7(2) notification
Notify ECHA where required.
4SCIP database
Submit to the SCIP database (since 2021).
- The SVHC Candidate List is updated about twice a year by ECHA. Browse selected examples, or ECHA's authoritative full list.
- The authorisation and restriction lists are in REACH Annexes XIV and XVII.
How it relates to other topics#
- RoHS restricts a fixed list specifically in electronics. REACH is broader and covers all substances and articles.
- The SCIP database is the waste-side companion to REACH Article 33 reporting.
- The POP regulation handles persistent organic pollutants under a separate, stricter regime.
- CLP hazard classifications are often the trigger that leads a substance onto the Candidate List in the first place.
- The annexes that carry the lists are mapped in Key Annexes.