REACH
REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, and is an EU Directive (EC/2006/1907) addressing the production and use of chemical substances in the European Union and its member states.
REACH covers ALL chemical substances in the EU, “whether manufactured, imported, used as intermediates or placed on the market, either on their own, in preparations or in articles” with certain listed exceptions. In our case, our films would be considered an “article”.
All substances, materials or products for eventual distribution to the EU market are required to comply with REACH. It imposes limits on substances considered to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, bio-accumulative and/or toxic regardless of end-use or user.
Obligations under REACH are dependent on the entity’s role in the supply chain. There are three roles to consider -producer, importer or supplier and each presents its own set of requirements.
In order to avoid burdening our customers with added costs, most of our stock films for US distribution do not account for REACH requirements. However, we do produce custom ordered films that meet the limits set by REACH based on the ECHA Candidate List.
To learn more about REACH, and how we can assist you with these requirements, download our REACH summary.