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General information about REACH
- REACH - The new EU chemicals legislation
- ECCHA European Chemicals Agency
- REACH-Helpdesk of the Federal Authorities
What is REACH?
"Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals" - REACH - came into force in the European Union on 1st June 2007.
The aim of REACH is to ensure that approximately 30,000 of the most frequently used chemical substances and all new substances are registered, with appropriate safety data made available. The Regulation covers substances in quantities of at least 1 tonne per year and supplier, as well as all new chemicals. In certain cases, potential users of substances of very high concern ("SVHCs") are also required to apply for authorisation to use them.
REACH replaces a series of EU legal texts on chemicals. It also supplements other legal regulations on the protection of the environment and on safety. It does, however, leave many sector-specific regulations (e.g. on detergents, dyes, etc.) unaffected. There are also extensive exemptions from parts of the Regulation. Chemical substances in foodstuffs and drugs, for example, are covered by other EU regulations. There is also no requirement to register natural substances under REACH, provided they are not hazardous and have not been chemically modified. The REACH Regulation automatically comes into force in all 27 EU Member States and requires no ratification from individual national parliaments.
Our assessment
After detailed examination of our product portfolio, we have established that WDI AG is unaffected by the REACH Regulation.
Registration, for instance, is only required for products that release banned substances when used properly during their life-cycle (not including waste disposal) and exceed the quantities stipulated in REACH. We assume, therefore, that there is no duty to register incumbent upon us. We do not intend to register or pre-register substances since we do not put into circulation any components containing hazardous substances in accordance with the REACH Regulation that have to be released. We will obviously meet our duty to communicate information in accordance with Article 33 based on the candidate list of substances of very high concern as and when necessary.
As a distributor without our own development and production operations, we are reliant on the corresponding declarations issued by the individual manufacturers who supply us. As soon as we have these declarations, we will provide our customers with the relevant information at once.
We are currently unable to respond to any specific customers questionnaires. Furthermore, given the complexity of this subject and the multitude of products and manufacturers, we are also unable to give any blanket, universally valid statements in our own name. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.
Please rest assured, however, that we will be implementing our legal obligations as required and will give our customers the best possible support.
+49 (0) 4103 1800-0 +49 (0) 4103 1800-200 info@wdi.ag
