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How to Comply With REACH?

By Valerie Kuntz

If you sell or import goods to the European Union (EU), or supply articles to a client operating in the EU, you’ll need to demonstrate REACH compliance (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals REAC Regulation). The REACH Regulation is a cornerstone product compliance regulation for the EU, setting the tone for other legislation, including the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and the EU Waste Framework Directive.

What is REACH compliance, and what does it mean for your company? The regulation is complex, so it’s not always easy to understand REACH compliance requirements. This article provides an overview of REACH, some best practices to proactively meet your requirements, and important resources for manufacturers.

REACH Regulation Framework

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) enforces the regulation and is responsible for authorizing the use of certain substances and maintaining the following regulated substance lists:

Candidate List Authorisation List Restricted List
Substances with health or environmental effects that ECHA is currently evaluating for potential replacements. Substances that have been evaluated as having serious effects. Substances on this list have a sunset date after which they require authorization to use. Substances that ECHA has banned or restricted use of in certain situations.

 

The goal of the REACH Regulation is to protect human health and the environment from the effects of these potentially harmful substances of very high concern (SVHCs) by communicating or limiting their use in durable goods within the EU. To comply with this goal, durable goods manufacturers are responsible for tracking and communicating SVHCs in their products.

Protect Your EU Market Access: The REACH Handbook

Ensure your products can enter the EU market with a compliance program that meets all the requirements of the REACH Regulation. The REACH Handbook gives you expert insights to improve your compliance program, including:

  • Tracking and reporting substances of very high concern (SVHC) in articles
  • Staying ahead of PFAS risks in your supply chain
  • Managing authorization expiration dates to avoid early obsolescence

Get Your Copy Today

Valerie Kuntz | Senior Regulatory Expert

Valerie specializes in Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) implementation processes at large companies, and in extended producer responsibility and conflict minerals processes. She is committed to developing and improving declaration standards, and led the working group for the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG)’s Declarable Substances List pilot project.

Before joining Assent, Valerie spent 20 years at Intel Corporation, starting in materials and eventually becoming the program manager in charge of its global materials compliance program.

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