What it is
REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) is the EU’s framework for the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, administered by ECHA. It rests on three mechanisms: registration (mainly for substance and material suppliers above one tonne a year), authorisation of especially hazardous substances (Annex XIV), and restriction (Annex XVII), which bans or limits particular substances in particular uses.
Why it matters for compliance
For brands that make or import articles (finished products), restriction and the substances of very high concern (SVHC) duties are central. Where an article contains a Candidate-List SVHC above 0.1% by weight, the supplier must communicate information down the chain and notify ECHA’s SCIP database. Restriction (Annex XVII) is how the EU bans, for example, certain phthalates in toys or lead in jewellery — so it directly determines what your materials may contain.
How to use it
- Screen each product against Annex XVII restrictions for its materials and use.
- Track the Candidate List (it updates roughly twice a year) and re-screen affected products.
- Obtain reliable composition data from suppliers — REACH compliance is a supply-chain data problem.
- File SCIP notifications where an SVHC exceeds 0.1% w/w of an article.
Good to know
The legal duty is definite, but meeting it depends entirely on knowing what is in the product — which is why supplier declarations and verified test data are the practical heart of REACH compliance.
Visit the official REACH — (EC) 1907/2006 site ↗How Conphora helps
Conphora turns obligations like these into one managed workflow — it matches each product to the rules that apply, flags the gaps, and keeps your evidence ready for retailers and authorities.