The EU Commission Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy known as REACH

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a new regulatory framework for the control of chemicals. It is arguably the most significant development on controlling chemicals in the European marketplace for many decades. Under the proposed new system called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals), enterprises that manufacture or import more than one tonne of a chemical substance per year would be required to register it in a central database. The stated aims of the proposed new Regulation are to improve the protection of human health and the environment while maintaining the competitiveness and innovative capability of the EU chemicals industry. One of the key aims of REACH is to provide a faster, more efficient approach to dealing with chemicals of high concern that will need to be authorised for specific uses.