European Union (EU) Information Page

REACH - Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances

How does REACH affect Hong Kong traders and manufacturers?

REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use. It deals with the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances. The new Regulation entered into force on 1 June 2007 but most of its provisions - in particular those that may affect Hong Kong - will only apply in phases starting from 1 June 2008.

REACH introduces an obligation to register with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) every chemical substance or mixture, whether manufactured in or imported into the EU in quantities exceeding one tonne per year per company. Substances in articles (e.g., toys, textiles and clothing, electrical appliances, photographic and other chemical-using products) that are intended to be released are also subject to the same requirement. The use and placing on the market of substances of very high concern (SVHC, i.e. substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR); persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT); or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB); and substances that may cause serious effects to human or the environment) will require authorisation. Notification is also required for SVHC present in the articles.

Hong Kong suppliers of chemicals or suppliers of articles containing substances subject to the provisions of the Regulation, whether as manufacturers or exporters, may be required to provide information to assist their EU importers in the preparation of registration, authorisation or notification. The information may include the use of substance and chemical safety report.

For details, please refer to :

• Commercial Information Circulars:
  

• No. 15/2007 -  Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
  
  
• No. 291/2007 -  European Chemical Agency (ECHA) Established for the Implementation of REACH
  
  
• No. 254/2008 -  Fees and Charges Payable to the European Chemicals Agency Pursuant to REACH
  
  
• No. 301/2008  -  Pre-registration of REACH
  
  
• No. 302/2008  -  Requirements for Substances in Articles under REACH 
  
  
• No. 309/2008  -  Testing Methods Pursuant to REACH
  
  
• No. 376/2008  -  Public Consultation on the Proposals for Identification of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) to be Placed on the Candidate List under REACH
  
  
• No. 541/2008  - Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and Intermediate List of Pre-registered Substances under REACH
  
  
• No. 549/2008  - Amendments to the Exemptions from the Obligation to Register under REACH
  
  

• Website of ECHA 
  

Legislative Text

• REACH Regulation

Implementation Timeline

Pre-registration (from 1 Jun to 1 Dec 2008)

• Commercial Information Circular No. 301/2008 - Pre-registration of  REACH
  
  
• Guidance on data-sharing (including information on pre-registration)
  
  
• Pre-registration platform (REACH-IT)
  
  
• Intermediate List of Pre-registered Substances under REACH
  

Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC)

• Candidate List of SVHC
  
  
• Legal Obligations Arising from SVHC
  

Reference Links

• European Commission's REACH webpage
  
  
• ECHA
  

• REACH Navigator
  
  
• Guidance documents
  
  
  • Guidance on registration
    
    
  • Guidance on data-sharing
    
    
  • Guidance on monomers and polymers
    
    
  • Guidance on requirements for substances in articles
    
    
  • Guidance for downstream users

• Software tools
  
  
  • REACH-IT (for registration)
    
    
  • IUCLID 5 (for management of chemical information)
    

• REACH Workshop - Final countdown to pre-registration and registration of chemicals (14 April 2008, Brussels)

Note: Videos of the workshop are available on the above webpage.