REACHblog®

On November 20, 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden released a progress update on the process to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Europe. According to ECHA’s press release, the five authorities (Dossier Submitters) and ECHA’s scientific committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) continue to consider more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments...

According to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) September 2024 summary of the current status of the scientific evaluation of the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ECHA’s Scientific Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) are continuing to evaluate the 2023 proposal to restrict more than 10,000 PFAS under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to the summary, RAC...

The European Commission (EC) announced on September 19, 2024, that it adopted new measures under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and PFHxA ‑related substances. The EC states that these sub-groups of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “are very persistent and mobile in water, and their use in certain products poses an...

According to an item in the September 4, 2024, ECHA Weekly, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun a public consultation on six proposals to identify new substances of very high concern (SVHC). The substances and examples of their uses are: Comments are due October 14. 2024....

The Acta Group (Acta®) is pleased to present “An Update on the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability,” a complimentary webinar that will review and update how the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is fundamentally reshaping the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulations in ways that are resetting the global stage for the regulation of chemicals. During this webinar, Meglena...

On May 16, 2024, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a public consultation on the UK government’s proposals to amend the current transitional provisions under UK REACH for submitting registration information to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Defra, following an in-depth analysis of the current UK REACH requirements and working with the HSE and the Environment Agency (EA), has devised an Alternative Transitional Registration model...

The May 2, 2024, ECHA Weekly includes an item on the June 3-6, 2024, meeting of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and June 4-7, 2024, meeting of ECHA’s Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC). ECHA states that the plenary meetings will address the following topics concerning the universal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances  (PFAS) restriction proposal: ECHA notes that additionally, RAC and SEAC will discuss pending issues from the previous...

On April 15, 2024, Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) REACH-CLP-Biozid Helpdesk published an item entitled “Dossier Submitter’s ongoing role in the PFAS restriction proposal.” While the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) evaluate the restriction proposal, the five national authorities that prepared the proposal (the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) are...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on February 27, 2024, that between 2009 and 2023, it performed compliance checks of approximately 15,000 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations, representing 21 percent of full registrations. ECHA states that it met its legal target for dossier evaluation, which increased from five percent to 20 percent in 2019. ECHA notes that for substances registered at quantities of 100 metric tons or more per...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued a press release on March 13, 2024, to outline how the Scientific Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) will progress in evaluating the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Europe. As reported in our February 13, 2023, memorandum, the national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted a proposal to restrict more than 10,000 PFAS under the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on February 7, 2024, that it is considering recommending the following substances for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Authorization List: ECHA states that it is looking for further information on the uses of these substances in scope of authorization, their possible exemptions from the authorization requirement, and on the structure and complexity of the supply chains. ECHA encourages REACH...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 30, 2024, the launch of ECHA CHEM, its “new solution for publishing information on chemicals.” According to ECHA, the first version of ECHA CHEM includes information from the more than 100,000 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation (REACH) registrations that companies have submitted to ECHA. On the support page for ECHA CHEM, ECHA notes that as it gradually transfers the data it makes publicly...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 23, 2024, that it added five chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) for authorization and updated the existing entry for dibutyl phthalate to include its endocrine-disrupting properties for the environment: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion Examples of Uses 2,4,6-Tri-tert-butylphenol Toxic for reproduction (Article 57(c))   Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) (Article 57(d)) Manufacture...

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced in its January 17, 2024, UK REACH ebulletin that it recommended that diisohexyl phthalate (DIHxP) be added to the list of substances subject to authorization (Annex 14) for UK REACH. As reported in our October 13, 2023, blog item, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) prioritized DIHxP and included DIHxP in its April 12, 2023, recommendation for the inclusion of substances in the European Union (EU)...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released a draft Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) update for 2024-2026. The draft CoRAP contains 28 substances, including 11 new substances compared to the current CoRAP for 2023-2025; ten substances are planned for evaluation in 2024, including evaluation of four substances as a group, and 18 are divided for evaluation in 2025 and 2026. The draft update states that from the 24 substances included in the CoRAP update published...

According to an item in the December 13, 2023, issue of the ECHA Weekly, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is looking for information for a potential restriction of certain chromium (VI) substances under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation (REACH). ECHA has opened a call for evidence targeting companies using chromium (VI) substances. ECHA seeks information on: The call for evidence is intended for interested parties, such as private companies...

On November 9, 2023, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a policy paper on a UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) alternative transitional registration model (ATRm). According to Defra, in response to concerns raised by the chemicals industry about the significant cost to businesses of accessing European Union (EU) data packages to support UK REACH transitional registrations, Defra has been exploring options with the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on September 27, 2023, that it carried out two campaigns during 2021-2023 to remind companies of their obligation to keep their Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations up to date. According to ECHA, 57 of the 689 screened registrations, from 50 companies in 11 European Union (EU) member states, are still in breach of the update requirements under REACH Article 22. ECHA states that it reported...

The United Kingdom (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) began a public consultation on September 18, 2023, on its draft recommendation for 2023 to include diisohexyl phthalate (DIHxP) on the authorization list (Annex 14 of UK REACH). According to HSE’s draft background document, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) prioritized DIHxP and included DIHxP in its April 12, 2023, recommendation for the inclusion of substances in the European Union (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on September 13, 2023, that to improve transparency of the legislative process, its Enforcement Forum has decided to make its advice on the enforceability of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation restriction proposals public. According to ECHA, Forum advice will from now on be available on ECHA’s website. The first published advice is on the proposal to restrict creosote and related substances in...