REACHblog®

Following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU), any legal entity based in Great Britain (GB) intending to manufacture or import a substance into England, Scotland, and/or Wales at or above one tonne per year is required to submit a registration to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for that substance. This process is typically straightforward. What should a company do, however, when a substance is identified as a New Registration of an Existing Substance (NRES) and no...

On 6 August 2026, the United Kingdom (UK) government extended the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) transitional deadlines for any company manufacturing or importing chemicals into Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales). Grandfathered substances now have one of the following deadlines depending upon the hazardous properties and tonnage band. 27 October 2029: Substances that are manufactured or imported at or above 1,000 metric...

The Council of the European Union (EU) announced on June 30, 2026, that it reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament (EP) on the management and funding of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The Council of the EU states that the new rules “will create a standalone legal framework to help ECHA manage its growing number of duties efficiently.” ECHA was established in 2007 under the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)...

The European Commission (EC) announced on May 31, 2026, that it presented a roadmap to phase out animal testing for chemical safety assessments, laying out “clear, tangible steps to ensure the transition to innovative non-animal approaches.” The EC states that the roadmap will also preserve the integrity of safety evaluations, which ensure a high level of protection for human and animal health and the environment. The EC notes that the initiative supports and strengthens the existing...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will hold a webinar on May 7, 2026, from 11:00-12:40 (Helsinki time) on the restriction proposal on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). ECHA experts will present the Risk Assessment Committee’s (RAC) final opinion and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee’s (SEAC) draft opinion, covering hazards, emissions, risks, alternatives, socio-economic impacts, and next steps. The session includes a one-hour live question and answer...

The Development Law Service (LEGN) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold a webinar on April 30, 2026, at 14:30 (CEST) aimed at enhancing awareness and understanding of the legal concept of the Rights of Nature. According to FAO, the webinar will clarify the concept of Rights of Nature, highlight relevant jurisprudential and legislative developments across jurisdictions, and explore potential linkages with LEGN’s thematic areas,...

The Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (MoEUCC) has released an executive summary clarifying temporary registrations and temporary individual registrations under KKDIK (Kimyasalların Kaydı, Değerlendirilmesi, İzni ve Kısıtlanması). The announcement addresses situations where companies have pre-registered substances but cannot proceed with joint registration due to the absence of a lead registrant. In these cases, companies may submit a temporary individual...

As of February 24, 2026, the United Kingdom (UK) government has announced that the interim approaches to adding Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) to the UK Candidate List no longer apply and have been replaced with a new strategic approach. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), the 2021 interim principles facilitated a case-by-case review process for adding substances to the UK Candidate List, incorporating Regulatory Management Options Analyses (RMOA), and consideration...

After February 5, 2027, companies wishing to benefit from the reduced fees for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SME) must apply for company size validation prior to submitting their Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) dossiers. This contrasts with the current process, where SME status is confirmed retrospectively, after registrations are submitted. Under the European Commission’s updated REACH Fee Regulation, SMEs planning to...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 3, 2026, that its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) has concluded its evaluation of the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. ECHA notes that RAC drew on “an extensive and independent evaluation of PFAS hazards, volumes, emissions, risks and the likely effectiveness of a restriction as well as...