REACH
Introduction to the Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 18, 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
REACH is a new chemical regulation for the European Economic Area (EEA) which came into force on June 1, 2007. REACH will replace over 40 legal acts and has a very broad scope covering almost all substances and chemical preparations as separate entities or in selected products. The European Chemicals Agency (EChA) was set up in Helsinki, Finland to manage the implementation and monitoring of REACH.
The motto of REACH is “no data, no market,” meaning that companies placing substances, preparations and certain products in the EEA are bound by the following legal obligations concerning registration, evaluation, information authorization, and restriction and information:
- Registration: Manufacturers and importers must pre-register/register any substance that they supply to the EEA market in quantities greater than 1 tonne/year.
- Evaluation: Manufacturers and importers must obtain and provide the EChA with all data required so that it can be assessed which effects each substance has on human health and the environment.
- Information: Specific information must be passed along the entire supply chain. if so-called “substances of very high concern” (SVHC), i.e. carcinogens, mutagens, and substances toxic to reproduction; persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic substances; and very persistent, very bio-accumulative substances, are present in products in concentrations higher than 0.1% weight by weight. The SVHC are listed on the EChA’s Candidate List, which will be updated by every six months.
- Authorization: The use of some of these “substances of very high concern” (SVHC) requires authorization. These selected SVHC will be part of Authorization List (REACH Annex XIV)
- Restriction: The REACH regulation restricts the manufacture, placing on the market and use of certain dangerous substances, preparations and articles. Effective from 01.06.2009 this long-standing restrictions were transferred from the EEC directive 76/769 into REACH Annex XVII.
Under REACH, the electronics and manufacturing industries must primarily comply with the above mentioned registration and information requirements and have to respect the restrictions. Siemens will ensure all applicable REACH obligations are met within the specified time frames as part of its long-standing and comprehensive product responsibility and chemical management program. This includes the pre-registration of a few selected substances as required by REACH and if necessary their registration in the future.
Information on substances in products according to REACH Article 33
As of today (status: September, 2009), only a number of selected SVHC on the Candidate List is relevant for Siemens. These are for example the plasticizers Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP, Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), and Dibutylphtalate (DBP), which are typically found in PVC. It may therefore be possible that in certain products sold separately such as cables, these plasticizers are above the threshold level of 0.1% weight by weight. Specific information can be found on the product’s delivery note. As additional information, please find below links to selected products according to the information received from our suppliers.