Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
REACH
Definition
REACH — Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — is the EU's comprehensive chemicals regulation, managed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). It requires chemical manufacturers and importers to register substances, evaluate their safety, and obtain authorisation for the most hazardous substances before they can be used. REACH is the legal foundation for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) disclosure, which feeds directly into Digital Product Passport requirements.
The four pillars of REACH
Registration — manufacturers and importers of chemical substances above 1 tonne/year must submit a registration dossier to ECHA containing safety data, intended uses, and risk management measures.
Evaluation — ECHA and member state authorities review dossiers and may request additional data. Substances of concern may be prioritised for authorisation or restriction.
Authorisation — substances with unacceptable risks (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, persistent bioaccumulative toxics) are placed on the SVHC Candidate List and, if listed in Annex XIV, require specific authorisation to use. Companies must demonstrate there are no alternatives and that risks are adequately controlled.
Restriction — Annex XVII prohibits or limits certain substances and uses outright, regardless of authorisation.
REACH and DPP: the Article 33 obligation
REACH Article 33 is the specific provision that links to DPP obligations:
If a product (article) contains an SVHC above 0.1% by weight at the article level, the supplier must:
- Automatically inform the downstream recipient
- Inform any consumer within 45 days of request
- Provide at minimum the substance name and safe use instructions
This same data — which substances are present, at what concentration — is required in Digital Product Passports under ESPR Article 9. Companies with established Article 33 compliance workflows have the core substance data already; it needs to be structured into DPP format.
The SCIP database
From 5 January 2021, suppliers of articles containing SVHCs above 0.1% w/w must submit to ECHA's SCIP database (Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects in Products). SCIP submissions are a structural head start on DPP substance data — the same information populates both systems.
Current SVHC status
As of March 2026: 251 substances on the ECHA Candidate List. ECHA updates the list twice per year (January and June).
Related terms
- SVHC — substances identified under REACH as of very high concern
- SCIP Database — the ECHA database for SVHC-containing products
- Digital Product Passport (DPP) — where REACH substance data is disclosed at product level