REACH is a major reform of EU chemicals policy, affecting all global supply chains that produce and use chemicals. This webpage is for U.S. exporters to Europe, particularly SMEs, to inform them about requirements under REACH and to help them comply with this new regulation, in force in all EU Member States since 1 June 2007. This webpage includes official EU documents and U.S. government reports, and a list of business service providers offering consulting or legal advice for REACH compliance.

REACH 101: New to REACH? Click here for a REACH overview.

What's New?

Guidance in a Nutshell:  The European Chemicals Agency has published a new guidance document for REACH. This Guidance in a Nutshell explains in brief the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH Regulation) that apply to substances in articles. Click here to download as .pdf.

List of substances pre-registered by December 1st, 2008: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published an updated list of pre-registered substances with envisaged registration deadlines.

Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern: The Candidate List was published on October 28, 08 and includes 15 chemicals. Substances on the Candidate List may become subject to authorization for the EU market. The Candidate List also brings new duties for companies including the obligation to inform customers and consumers of the presence of substances of very high concern in finished products. The Candidate List will be updated as substances are identified as substances of very high concern by EU authorities.

Duplicate pre-registrations within a supply chain: At their December 15-16 2008 meeting, the REACH competent authorities confirmed their strict interpretation of the exemptions from registration for re-imported substances, substances in articles, monomers in polymers and recovered substances, provided they have been registered. These exemptions do not extend to pre-registration. For companies who have not pre-registered because they relied on a wider interpretation of the REACH exemptions or were not aware of ECHA's recommendation of 6 October 2008, this means that their substances are illegally on the market until someone else registers the substance. However, Member States are currently discussing whether this should be a priority for enforcement.

The list of chemicals exempt from registration under Reach (annex IV and V) has been published in the EU official journal. Draft guidance related to the exemptions in annex V is now available.

How REACH applies to nanomaterials.

Important Deadlines 

Since 1 June 2008: Registration of new chemicals (not listed on the EU inventories ELINCS and EINECS). See the Commission Communication of December 12, 2008 on enquiry and registration of  substances that were legally on the market before 1 June 08 but which do not have phase-in status.

Since 28 October 2008: Suppliers of articles (finished products) containing substances on the Candidate List (see above) in concentration above 0.1% must provide sufficient information, available to them, to their customers and on request to consumers within 45 days of the receipt of this request. This information must ensure safe use of the article and, as a minimum, include the name of the substance (REACH article 33).

December 1, 2008: Pre-registration of substances above 1 ton/year/manufacturer, unless specifically exempted from the legislation. What if you missed the pre-registration deadline? Your substances are illegally on the EU market. You can only benefit from late pre-registration provisions (REACH article 28.6) if you are exporting to Europe the substance for the first time after 1 December 08. Otherwise, you will need to find an importer or only representative who has pre-registered your chemical in sufficient quantities to cover yours.

January 2009: SIEF formation (substance exchange information fora) for data sharing and joint registrations

By 30 November 2010: Registration of CMRs 1 and 2 (carcinogens) above 1 ton/ year/ manufacturer, substances classified as very toxic to aquatic organisms above 100 t/year/ manufacturer and substances as such, in preparations (mixtures) or intended to be released from articles (finished products) in quantities above 1000 t/year/manufacturer.

From 1 December 2010: Notification of classification and labeling to ECHA.

REACH Assistance

REACH Business Service Providers: If you need legal or technical assistance for REACH compliance, please check our list of REACH Business Service Providers. These companies have paid to be a part of our listing, and while we have checked the references they provided, their presence on our list does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Commercial Service.

Guidance documents: will help you understand and comply with REACH. They cover the main REACH processes: Registration, Authorization, Restrictions, Data sharing, Requirements for substances in Articles (finished products). The guidance documents are also available in summary versions.

Frequently Asked Questions: updated 6 November 2008

Helpdesks: You may submit your questions to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and/or Member States helpdesks.

Looking for an Only Representative?

REACH gives the option to non-EU manufacturers to appoint an Only Representative (OR) in the EU to make sure that their exports comply with REACH without having to disclose information on their products to the importers. The OR must carry out all obligations of importers under REACH, including (pre-)registration.

Our list of Only Representatives (ORs) is a selection of firms which offer assistance to U.S. businesses in making sure their products comply with REACH. These providers have paid to be a part of our listing, and while we believe them to be reliable and have checked the references they provided, their presence on our list does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Commercial Service. This list is not an exhaustive list of all European firms offering OR services. Please note that there is no EU accreditation system for ORs.

SME Portal

Small- and medium-sized enterprises benefit from reduced fees under REACH, and many SMEs could fall within a REACH exemption for chemicals entering the EU market in quantities less than than 1 metric ton per year.

Who qualifies as an SME for the purposes of REACH compliance? The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of businesses employing fewer than 250 persons and having annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro. For more information, consult the SME User Guide. The SME reduction applies to Only Representatives based on the size of the non-EU manufacturer that they represent.  

Legal Texts:

The original REACH Regulation was adopted in December 06, and any updates to the text will be made available at the ECHA Website.

REACH Fee Regulation
Testing Methods for REACH

US Sources of Information

REACH Contacts across the EU. For a list of U.S. Commercial Service personnel who handle REACH-related inquiries, please click here.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Toxic Substances Control Act page and Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labelling page.

ANSI: American National Standards Institute 

EU Websites:

European Chemicals Agency
National Helpdesks
DG Enterprise
DG Environment

Contact Information:

If you have additional questions not covered on this website, please send an email to the following address: Brussels.EC.Office.Box@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov and reference "REACH Inquiry" in the subject line. One of our specialists will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

Links to web sites outside the U.S. Government or the use of trade, firm, or corporation names within U.S. Commercial Service web sites are for the convenience of the user. Such links and use do not constitute an express or implied official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Commerce of any private sector web site, or of the products or services of specifically identified companies or entities.