The REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of CHemicals) regulation of the European Union (EU), effective since June 1, 2007, rules the registration of all chemical substances on the market in the EU. Concerned of the registration, however, are also preparations. Hazardous substances have to be authorized. For hazardous substances in finished articles, special information obligations are valid, in some cases there exists a registration obligation as well. By this means, protection of health and environment shall be improved against the risks resulting from the use of substances. A special requirement of REACH consists in the cooperation of manufacturers of the same substance (potential competitors), as they have to share data for registration – though such kind of cooperation is difficult in terms of competition law.
Transitional periods will be granted under the REACH Regulation in order to perform
comprehensive registration tasks. Depending on substance volumes and certain
health and environmental classifications, these transitional periods range from 3.5 to
11 years (Article 23). To be able to benefit from these transitional periods,
manufacturers/importers must pre-register a substance.
It is essential for users of substances to know if suppliers (Manufacturer/Importer) will
register the substances they require – to confirm that these substances will be
available in the future and their specific uses will be covered by a registration.
It is also essential for manufacturers/importers to be informed about downstream
applications as well as use and exposure information for the respective substances in
order to be able to generate the required chemical safety report covering the identified
uses.
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