REACH: Regulation 1907/2006/EC

Unless you’ve been hiding away for some time, you should at least be aware of the REACH regulations, and have some idea of the impact it will have on the European chemicals industry.

REACH is short for the Regulation, Evaluation, and Authorisation (and Restriction) of Chemicals.  It is the biggest piece of chemical legislation ever brought about within the European Union, and will affect all chemical suppliers, manufacturers, importers and users to some extent. 

Although the full impact of REACH will take several more years to come about, the regulations came into force on 1st June 2007, and several of the key deadlines are already looming.

In simple terms, the REACH regulations require that any material that is to be sold within the European Union in a quantity of greater than one metric tonne a year, needs to be registered with the European Chemicals Agency; and have a technical dossier associated with it, that provides sufficient information on how to effectively deal with any risks associated.

• >1,000 tonnes / year → December 2010
• 100 - 1,000 tonnes / year → June 2013
• 1 - 100 tonnes / year → June 2018

If materials are not entered for Pre-Registration, they are required to be fully registered, and have all information required for the technical dossier from that point.  In simple terms, no data – no market.

For a more detailed overview, please visit the Chemical Business Association’s (CBA’s) website.  The CBA’s REACH Taskforce were at the forefront of leading the UK Chemical Industry response during the consultation period, and have and an in-depth knowledge of the regulations.

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