The European Commission is working on a major revision of the REACH regulation. This would be the first time since the regulation entered into force in 2007 (so far, only small changes have been made).
The main purpose is to implement elements of the European Union’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, adopted in 2020, aiming towards a toxic free environment.
One of the problems that regulators experience with the current regulation is the complex procedure for substance evaluation, leading to a slow pace of restrictions imposed on chemicals. It is expected that the provisions for restricting or banning of chemicals will be simplified. The challenge is to do this in such a way that the interests of suppliers and consumers will not be affected.
The European Commission will issue a proposal for a new text of the REACH regulation probably at the end of the year. More information can be found here.
