Pay attention to REACH compliance! Five new hazardous chemicals added to ECHA SVHC candidate list

On January 23, 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) added five new hazardous chemicals to the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list, and the list was officially updated to 240 items. These chemicals can cause harm to human health and the environment, so companies have a responsibility to manage the risks of these chemicals and provide information about their safe use to customers.

In addition, ECHA also revised the entry of dibutyl phthalate (CAS No.: 84-74-2), which was previously included in the SVHC list due to reproductive toxicity and endocrine disrupting properties (human health). Added reason for inclusion: endocrine disrupting properties (environmental).

According to the EU REACH regulations, when a company produces products on the candidate list, whether they are individual substances, mixtures or finished products, the company must fulfill relevant legal obligations.

If the concentration of SVHC in an article is above 0.1% by weight, suppliers must provide their customers with information on how to use the substance safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they purchase contain SVHC.

If an article contains SVHC, the importer and manufacturer of the article must inform ECHA within six months from the date the article is included in the candidate list (January 23, 2024).

EU and EEA suppliers must provide customers with updated safety data sheets if articles contain SVHCs.

According to the Waste Framework Directive, companies must inform ECHA if they produce items with an SVHC concentration exceeding 0.1%. The notification is published in the ECHA SCIP database.