REACH registration

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. Registration is the first pillar. A company that makes or imports a substance above a tonnage threshold must submit a dossier describing the substance, its hazards and how it can be used safely. The principle is often summarised as no data, no market.

The amount of information required grows with the volume produced. Larger volumes bring more toxicological and ecological testing. Companies making the same substance are expected to share data to avoid repeating animal tests, and they usually do this through a joint submission.

At higher tonnages (10 tonnes or more per year), a registrant must also carry out a chemical safety assessment covering the identified uses. For substances that meet certain hazard criteria, this includes an exposure assessment and a description of risk management measures. These are passed down the supply chain, often as an exposure scenario attached to the safety data sheet.

Registration is not an approval of safety. It is a data and responsibility mechanism. The other pillars, evaluation, authorisation of substances of very high concern and restrictions, can follow. Registration sits alongside the CLP Regulation, which governs how the hazards are classified and labelled.

Downstream users, such as formulators and workplaces, do not usually register, but they must follow the use conditions in the SDS they receive and tell suppliers about uses that are not covered.