Many industries use harmful substances every day, even if they don’t realize it yet. These substances are dangerous to the environment and human health. But the good thing is that the effects of these chemicals are manageable and reversible. That’s why you will need to become REACH Compliant if you want to continue running your business. But keep in mind that many other chemicals are called REACH SVHC or substances with very high concern. These are substances that have severe effects on the environment. The adverse effects are irreversible and are dangerous to the environment and health of people.
The meaning of REACH is Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction. It pertains to substances that were produced or imported into the European Union in large quantities, primarily if they exceed a tonne per year. It was established last June 1, 2007, and was initiated by the European Parliament under the EU. So if you think that your company is exceeding the one-tonne threshold, then you have the option to register the substances to minimize and avoid any risks and damages. You can become REACH Compliance through the steps listed below.
Collect Information About the Substances
The first step you need to do is to collect information about the products that you have. Then, you can use your engagement with your in-scope suppliers to start accumulating any data about the material composition of the substance. Data collection comes in two different ways, which are Full Materials Disclosure collection and Document-based collection.
Register Your Substances
Once you have gathered all of the vital information about the substances, then it’s time for you to register your substances of very high concern or SVHC’s with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The ECHA will urge you to collaborate or work with other companies that have the same substance as yours.
ECHA Will Start the Evaluation of Your Substance
Once European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has received the individual registrations, they will start evaluating them. They will check in terms of the compliance while different EU members will assess only a select number of substances to address concerns on human health and the environment. After that, the ECHA will assess these risks for the registered substances, if there are any.
The Ruling of the Substances by ECHA
If the committee finds that the substances are highly hazardous to the environment and the health of humans, they can choose to restrict their usage or ban it. But if a particular substance is needed for a product category, they will advise on safer chemicals that companies can use as a substitute.
REACH Certification
A company will be issued with REACH Certification once the relevant committee comes to a compliance determination. It’s also referred to as a Certification of Conformity or Declaration of Conformity.
Final Thoughts About REACH
To lessen the risks that different chemicals or dangerous compounds do to the environment, it’s essential to comply with REACH. It’s necessary also to provide rich-detailed data to consumers and all users. REACH Certification also has the power to remove the use of a substance once they have found a more suitable solution to cut them out from the market effectively. As a result, humans and the environment don’t suffer from the risks associated with dangerous substances.
