WHAT IS REACH REGULATION
The REACH Regulation, or Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006, is a European Union measure, which came into force on June 1, 2017, aimed at the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals – in English Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, REACH for short.
This Regulation aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment, as well as the free movement of substances on their own, or as components of mixtures and articles, while enhancing competitiveness and innovation. This Regulation should also promote the development of alternative methods for the assessment of hazards of substances.
Simplifying, REACH aims to contain the risks arising from the use of chemicals, and to regulate more precisely the industrial sectors involved, encouraging innovation and research into alternative substances.
A secondary objective, but no less important, is the replacement of animal testing with alternative methods; in fact, through a process of evaluation of chemical substances, it will no longer be necessary for companies to carry out animal testing to record their side effects.
REACH REGULATION APPLICATIONS
The REACH Regulation applies to all chemical substances, not only those used in industrial processes, but also those contained in everyday products:
In order to preserve the integrity of the internal market and ensure a high level of protection of human health, in particular that of workers, and protection of the environment, it is necessary to ensure that the manufacture of substances in the Community complies with Community law, even when those substances are exported.
REACH REGULATION: OBLIGATIONS FOR COMPANIES
The responsibility for managing the risks of substances should lie with the natural or legal persons who manufacture, import, place on the market or use them.
As stated in the text, the REACH Regulation places the responsibility on companies to identify, register and manage the risks associated with chemicals produced and marketed within the EU.
This also includes the obligation to describe, document and communicate in a transparent and appropriate manner the risks arising from the production, use and disposal of each substance.
It is also important to establish a channel of communication between the manufacturers of chemicals, who are required to assess and register them, and the end users, i.e. the companies that use these substances to produce goods.
It is therefore up to the producers of chemical substances to evaluate and register them, who will then have to interact with other producers and end users, in order to avoid multiple tests on the same substances and to facilitate the exchange of information.
The evaluation of these registrations is the responsibility of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), established by the REACH regulation, which receives and evaluates the conformity of the submissions, while the Member States evaluate the individual substances selected to verify the effects on human health and the environment.
If the risks are too high, the authorities have the power to ban them, restrict their use or require a special authorization.
The REACH Regulation divides companies into three categories:
- Manufacturer: A company that produces chemicals;
- Importer: Anyone who purchases individual chemicals, mixtures for resale, or finished products, e.g. clothing, furniture, or plastic goods, outside the EU or EEA;
- Downstream user: companies that use chemicals, often unwittingly, and must comply with REACH.
How does REACH work?
REACH establishes procedures for the collection and evaluation of information on the properties of substances and the hazards arising from them.
Companies are required to register substances and for this purpose they must cooperate with other companies that are registering the same substance.
ECHA receives individual registrations and assesses their regulatory compliance, while EU member states evaluate selected substances to clarify initial concerns for human health and the environment. ECHA’s authorities and scientific committees assess whether the risks arising from the substances can be managed.
Authorities may ban hazardous substances if the risks arising are not manageable and may also decide to restrict a use or make it possible only after authorization.
REACH Regulation
Socio-economic impacts of
REACH authorisations
reach
WHAT IS REACH REGULATION
The REACH Regulation, or Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006, is a European Union measure, which came into force on June 1, 2017, aimed at the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals – in English Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, REACH for short.
This Regulation aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment, as well as the free movement of substances on their own, or as components of mixtures and articles, while enhancing competitiveness and innovation. This Regulation should also promote the development of alternative methods for the assessment of hazards of substances.
Simplifying, REACH aims to contain the risks arising from the use of chemicals, and to regulate more precisely the industrial sectors involved, encouraging innovation and research into alternative substances.
A secondary objective, but no less important, is the replacement of animal testing with alternative methods; in fact, through a process of evaluation of chemical substances, it will no longer be necessary for companies to carry out animal testing to record their side effects.
REACH REGULATION APPLICATIONS
The REACH Regulation applies to all chemical substances, not only those used in industrial processes, but also those contained in everyday products:
In order to preserve the integrity of the internal market and ensure a high level of protection of human health, in particular that of workers, and protection of the environment, it is necessary to ensure that the manufacture of substances in the Community complies with Community law, even when those substances are exported.
REACH REGULATION: OBLIGATIONS FOR COMPANIES
The responsibility for managing the risks of substances should lie with the natural or legal persons who manufacture, import, place on the market or use them.
As stated in the text, the REACH Regulation places the responsibility on companies to identify, register and manage the risks associated with chemicals produced and marketed within the EU.
This also includes the obligation to describe, document and communicate in a transparent and appropriate manner the risks arising from the production, use and disposal of each substance.
It is also important to establish a channel of communication between the manufacturers of chemicals, who are required to assess and register them, and the end users, i.e. the companies that use these substances to produce goods.
It is therefore up to the producers of chemical substances to evaluate and register them, who will then have to interact with other producers and end users, in order to avoid multiple tests on the same substances and to facilitate the exchange of information.
The evaluation of these registrations is the responsibility of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), established by the REACH regulation, which receives and evaluates the conformity of the submissions, while the Member States evaluate the individual substances selected to verify the effects on human health and the environment.
If the risks are too high, the authorities have the power to ban them, restrict their use or require a special authorization.
The REACH Regulation divides companies into three categories:
- Manufacturer: A company that produces chemicals;
- Importer: Anyone who purchases individual chemicals, mixtures for resale, or finished products, e.g. clothing, furniture, or plastic goods, outside the EU or EEA;
- Downstream user: companies that use chemicals, often unwittingly, and must comply with REACH.
How does REACH work?
REACH establishes procedures for the collection and evaluation of information on the properties of substances and the hazards arising from them.
Companies are required to register substances and for this purpose they must cooperate with other companies that are registering the same substance.
ECHA receives individual registrations and assesses their regulatory compliance, while EU member states evaluate selected substances to clarify initial concerns for human health and the environment. ECHA’s authorities and scientific committees assess whether the risks arising from the substances can be managed.
Authorities may ban hazardous substances if the risks arising are not manageable and may also decide to restrict a use or make it possible only after authorization.
REACH Regulation
Socio-economic impacts
of REACH authorisations
REACH Regulation
Socio-economic impacts
of REACH authorisations
