European Chemicals Agency Adds Five New Substances to Candidate List, Strengthening REACH Regulations

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has recently expanded its Candidate List, adding five new chemicals that include one known to be toxic to reproduction, three that are highly persistent and bioaccumulative, and a substance exhibiting all these properties.

These chemicals are commonly found in a range of products within the plastics industry, such as adhesives, sealants. Additionally, the Agency has updated the entry for dibutyl phthalate to reflect it's endocrine-disrupting effects on the environment.

Entries added to the Candidate List on 23 January 2024: 

Companies are legally obligated under REACH when their substances appear on the Candidate List. If a substance is listed, companies must seek authorization to use it, with the European Commission's approval required for continued use.

Suppliers must inform customers and consumers about safe usage of substances exceeding 0.1% concentration in articles. Consumers have the right to inquire about high-concern substances in purchased products.

Importers and producers must notify ECHA within six months if their articles contain listed substances, beginning from the list's update date (23 January 2024). Suppliers of Candidate List substances in isolation or mixtures must update safety data sheets.

Additionally, under the Waste Framework Directive, companies must inform ECHA if their articles contain high-concern substances above the 0.1% threshold, which is then recorded in the SCIP database.