Feb. 28 – Impact of REACH on US exporters of manufactured goods to the EU

The magazine The Manufacturer has a terrific article on REACH, which we will be recommending to all of our clients. For the full article see: Impact of REACH on US exporters of manufactured goods to the EU. Here is a snippet:

With trepidation from industry a new chemical regulation in the European Union (EU) called REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) was published late in 2006. The Regulation which comes into force on 01 June 2007 will have a major impact on chemical and associated industries worldwide which manufacture and/or import chemicals, preparations and articles to the EU.

Before REACH the EU legislative framework for chemicals was fragmented with different rules for new and existing chemical substances and the requirements were generally considered by government to be inadequate for protecting human and environmental health. REACH brings together all existing EU legislation and is arguably the most comprehensive and far-reaching system of chemical regulation worldwide.

The article goes on to explain that:

For those substances falling within the scope of REACH the first administrative action for industry will be to pre-register their substances. This will takes place in a six month window starting 12 months after entry into force (June to December 2008). The subsequent registration procedure requiring submission of data and dossiers (with risk assessments) are to be carried out over a period of 11 years. The first deadline is for substances imported or manufactured at tonnages above 1000 tonnes per annum or substances already classified as dangerous over 100 tonnes per annum. Subsequent deadlines in 2013 and 2018 are for lower tonnage substances (above 100 and 1 tonne, respectively).

We have been receiving quite a few worried phone calls and e-mails about REACH this year. To learn more about how REACH will impact your company and how you can develop a plan of action to achieve REACH compliancy, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com