[Environment] What is the REACH???  

What is REACH? This word is often heard in the industry in recent years. Let us briefly introduce this word.

The full name of REACH is Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals System. The Chinese explanation is "the mechanism for registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals".

REACH is accompanied by an SVHC in English, whose full name is Substance of Very High Concern, which is interpreted in Chinese as "substance of very high concern".

The main purpose of REACH is for chemical-related items. All chemicals must be registered, evaluated and authorized before entering the EU market. This specification started on June 1, 2007 and is managed by the European Chemicals Agency.

The purpose of the REACH regulations is to protect human health and the environment, increase transparency and consumer awareness, promote non-animal testing and be consistent with the EU's international obligations at the WTO.

SVHC in the REACH regulations refers to chemical substances that are toxic and high-risk to the environment and the human body. Their production, import and market sales must first obtain authorization from the European Chemical Agency. If the SVHC specified substance exceeds 0.1% and If the annual export quantity is 1 ton, the manufacturer or importer must notify the Administration for review, otherwise it will be prohibited from selling in the relevant EU markets.

In recent years, related products produced in Taiwan are required not to contain related substances listed in the SVHC. If they do, the substances must be removed or replaced, otherwise the products cannot be sold to the EU or other markets.

As of May 29, 2024, a total of 235 substances have been accumulated, and more substances are investigated year by year. For details about substances, please refer to the link below:

https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table