REACH is the overall EU legislation on chemicals and came into effect on 1 June 2007 (REACH regulation 1907/2006). REACH is an abbreviation of: Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals

Should you be at a loss where to begin and where to end in the REACH labyrinth, it may be a very good idea to contact Eurofins. We can help and tell you step by step what you should do to live up to the new requirements.

The purpose of the law is to ensure that the 100,000 very different types of chemicals used in the EU are documented in respect of their safety for human beings and environment. The regulation will be of relevance to all companies that produce, import or use chemicals in quantities of more than 1 tonne per year per company (i.e. 1 tonne of each single chemical). REACH covers single substances, substances contained in chemical mixtures and substances contained in articles.

Pre-registration – REACH

Existing substances were pre-registered between 1 June 2008 and 1 December 2008. Import, marketing and production of chemical substances that were not pre-registered or registered during this period are prohibited after 1 December 2008.

Did you fail to pre-register in time?

If you failed to pre-register during the aforementioned period, you are bound to contact the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to find out whether the substances in question may have been pre-registered already.

Should we pre-register new substances contained in preparations/articles?

Yes. Substances that you import or produce for the first time after 1 December 2008 must be pre-registered according to quantity:

>= 1000 t/year	December 1, 2009
>=100-1000 t/year	June 1, 2012
>=1-100 t/year	June 1, 2017

Who should pre-register?

All companies that have their company address in the EU and which

• produce or import chemicals,
• produce or import articles that are intended to release chemicals,
• are the sole representatives of manufacturers from third countries.

Users of chemicals (downstream users) do not need to pre-register unless they import chemicals from non-EU countries.

Users may continue to use chemicals that have been pre-registered or registered. Users of chemicals must ensure that the chemicals they buy from their suppliers have been pre-registered or registered. Pre-registration is required if the quantity of a substance is or exceeds 1 tonne per company.

Should you need assistance in connection with your pre-registration/registration, we are ready to help you submit the required information to the European Chemicals Agency. We also offer consultancy in general matters related to the REACH regulation.