The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) adds new substances to its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Candidate List twice a year. These are substances that may require future authorization and that manufacturers will need to uncover in their products and begin reporting now.
On June 27, 2024, ECHA’s Member State Committee added one new substance to the Candidate List. The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) now contains 241 entries – some of which are groups of chemicals, so the overall number of impacted substances is higher.
If any of these substances are present in your products at greater than 0.1% concentration, you must report the necessary chemical data to your customers. You must also report chemical information in the Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database.
New Candidate List – June 2024
Bis(a,a-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide
The newly added chemical, bis(α,α-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide, is toxic for reproduction and is used as a processing aid, e.g. as a flame retardant.
How to Remain REACH Compliant
Under REACH, companies have certain legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List, either on its own or in mixtures or articles. The first step to remaining REACH compliance is to determine if these substances are present in the products you manufacture or in the products you purchase from suppliers.
If any Candidate List substances are present at or over the 0.1% weight by weight (w/w) threshold, you will need to inform your customers and downstream users and provide them with safe use instructions.
Additionally, under the Waste Framework Directive, you will need to notify ECHA of the presence of this substance for publication in the substances of concern in products (SCIP) database. Importers and producers of articles must notify ECHA if their article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date it has been included in the list (27 June 2024). If your imported and manufactured substances and mixtures exceed one metric ton per year, you must also register them with REACH.
Be advised, this substance may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future. If a substance is on this list, companies cannot use it unless they apply for authorisation and the European Commission authorises its continued use.
Find Sustainable REACH Solutions
REACH requirements change regularly, and REACH enforcement is on the rise. If you want to keep your products on the market in the EU, it’s essential to understand all your REACH reporting obligations.
If you need help identifying any Candidate List substances in your products, communicating with your suppliers, or maintaining your REACH reporting, contact Tetra Tech’s product compliance experts at [email protected]. We have decades of experience with EU compliance regulations and can help you find sustainable compliance solutions.
