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    REACHRegistration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals

    Definition

    Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals — an EU regulation whose duties depend on a company's role and activities.

    Editorial definition: The QHSE Standard, updated 3 October 2026 · https://qhsetech.com/glossary/reach

    Scope: Identify whether the organisation manufactures, imports or uses substances, and which specific obligations apply.

    Sources checked: . Examples are editorial illustrations.

    What ECHA says REACH requires, and who it applies to

    REACH, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, is a European Union regulation adopted to improve protection of human health and the environment from chemical risks while supporting the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. ECHA says it entered into force on 1 June 2007 and applies in principle to all chemical substances, including those in cleaning products and paints and in articles such as clothes, furniture and electrical appliances. The burden of proof sits with companies: they identify and manage the risks of the substances they manufacture and market in the EU, show ECHA how a substance can be used safely, and pass risk management measures on to users.

    The four processes in the name each do something distinct. Companies register their substances and work with others registering the same substance. ECHA evaluates individual registrations for compliance, and Member States evaluate selected substances. Authorities can ban hazardous substances whose risks cannot be managed, restrict a use or make it subject to prior authorisation. What a company must do depends on its role. ECHA names manufacturers, including those who make for export, importers, meaning anyone buying from outside the EU or EEA whether chemicals, mixtures or finished goods, and downstream users, a group that covers most firms using chemicals in industrial or professional activity. A company established outside the EU is not itself bound, and the duties fall on its EU importer or on an only representative.

    Candidate List substances carry duties that reach articles and mixtures. ECHA says they apply from the date of inclusion. An EU or EEA supplier of an article containing a Candidate List substance above 0.1 per cent weight by weight must give customers enough information for safe use, and give it to a consumer on request within 45 days. Producers and importers of articles notify ECHA when the substance totals over one tonne per producer or importer per year and exceeds 0.1 per cent, no later than six months after inclusion and subject to stated exceptions, and EU suppliers submit article information to the SCIP database. Suppliers of Candidate List substances alone or in mixtures provide a safety data sheet. This page is general information, not legal advice.

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    What a REACH record holds in software

    • The company's role for each substance (manufacturer, importer, downstream user or distributor), with the reasoning, since duties follow the role.
    • Registration status as stated by suppliers, with the date and the document it came from.
    • The Candidate List check: substance, list entry date, concentration in each article or mixture, and the result.
    • Article records: components with a Candidate List substance above 0.1 per cent, the quantity per year and any notification or SCIP submission.
    • Safety data sheet versions, including whether an exposure scenario is attached and whether it covers the company's use.
    • Customer and consumer information requests, with the date received and the 45-day response date.
    • Restriction and authorisation checks made when a substance or use changes.

    REACH, CLP and COSHH

    REACH regulates substances on the EU market, with registration and later controls on use. CLP governs classification and labelling of substances and mixtures. COSHH, in Great Britain, is the employer's duty to assess and control exposure at work. A product can be subject to all three, and compliance with one does not show compliance with another.

    A hypothetical example: a Candidate List update and a product line

    This scenario is invented and describes no real manufacturer. An EU manufacturer of electrical enclosures lists its articles, their components and the substances in each in a substance register. For each Candidate List substance found, the record holds the concentration, the weight of the component and the yearly quantity placed on the market.

    When ECHA adds a substance to the Candidate List, the register is searched. One gasket in a product line contains the substance at 0.3 per cent by weight, above the 0.1 per cent threshold. The company records the duty to give customers information for safe use and to submit article information to the SCIP database. It also checks the notification threshold: the gaskets weigh 700 kilograms a year in total, so the substance amounts to 2.1 kilograms, far below one tonne. A consumer then writes to ask about the product, and the record shows the request date and the 45-day deadline.

    Common misunderstandings about REACH

    • REACH is not only for chemical makers. ECHA says it affects most companies, including those that buy goods from outside the EU or use chemicals in professional activity.
    • A non-EU supplier is not directly bound. ECHA says the duty falls on the EU importer or an only representative.
    • A safety data sheet does not close every duty. Candidate List information about articles has to reach customers and consumers even where no sheet is involved.
    • Registration is not the end of the process. Authorities can later restrict a use or require prior authorisation.
    • The EU rules are not those of Great Britain. HSE says UK REACH applies to chemicals placed on the market in Great Britain, operates independently of EU REACH, and that EU REACH continues to apply in Northern Ireland.

    How REACH relates to other glossary terms

    REACH sits among several chemical duties that use the same safety data sheet.

    • GHS: the classification and labelling framework behind the hazard information in sheets.
    • SDS: the document through which risk management measures reach users.
    • COSHH: the British duty to control exposure at work, which uses information supplied under REACH.
    • ISO 14001: an environmental management system standard in which an organisation tracks the legal requirements that apply to it.

    Records and evidence that usually exist for REACH

    • A role analysis for each substance and the reasoning for it.
    • Supplier safety data sheets and statements about registration.
    • Candidate List checks with the list version and the date.
    • Article composition data with weight percentages.
    • Notifications and SCIP submissions with their references.
    • A log of customer and consumer requests and replies.

    What a software tool needs to capture for REACH

    • A role field per substance with space for the reasoning.
    • Article structure that holds substances at component level with weight percentages.
    • Candidate List screening that records the version of the list used and the date.
    • Calculation of yearly quantity and concentration against thresholds, with the inputs shown.
    • Sheet version handling that captures exposure scenarios and whether they cover the company's use.
    • A request log with an automatic 45-day deadline.
    • Storage of submissions, such as SCIP and ECHA notifications, with their references.

    Catalog profiles documenting SDS or chemical inventory records

    The list follows the SDS or chemical inventory rule. It does not show that a product tracks registration, the Candidate List or article notifications, which should be tested against a real article.

    Same rule for every product: tagged “Chemical Management”, with a sourced SDS or chemical inventory capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

    Tekmon pays for a sponsored placement (above); its place in this list follows the same rule as every entry. How lists are ordered

    All 11 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Does REACH apply if my company only buys chemicals?

    ECHA says most companies use chemicals, sometimes without realising it, and a downstream user should check its obligations. Which duties apply depends on the role and the use, so the check starts with identifying the role.

    What happens when a substance joins the Candidate List?

    Duties apply from the date of inclusion: information for customers and consumers on articles above 0.1 per cent, an ECHA notification above one tonne per year with stated exceptions, SCIP submission by EU suppliers of articles, and safety data sheets for substances and mixtures.

    Is REACH the same in Great Britain?

    No. ECHA's pages describe the EU regulation. HSE says UK REACH applies to chemicals placed on the market in Great Britain, operates independently of EU REACH, and that EU REACH continues to apply in Northern Ireland, so a British site should use HSE's UK REACH guidance.

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