REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals) regulates the use of chemicals, regardless of dangerous conditions. The REACH system transfers the responsibility for security of chemicals to the producers and importers. They have to gather the necessary information for registration and to convince during the registration process that their products are safe to handle in order to avoid harmful effect on human health and environment. For substances produced or imported in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year per company, manufacturers and importers need to demonstrate that they have appropriately done so by means of a registration dossier, which must be submitted to the European Chemicals Agency. The Agency will manage the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction processes for chemical substances to ensure consistency across the European Union.Companies that are not established in the EU have no obligations under REACH and can not pre-register and register. However, a non-EU manufacturer of substances, preparations or articles whose products are imported into the EU can appoint an Only Representative. The Only Representative will then carry out the REACH obligations including pre-registration linked to the imported substances. An only representative would not need to be appointed in the event that the importer had already registered the substance, as outlined above. Downstream users and distributors who buy their substances (or articles which intentionally release substances) from EU suppliers or non-EU suppliers who have nominated an Only Representative do not need to pre-register and register. However if they buy from other non-EU suppliers they will be considered as importers under REACH and they have to pre-register and register as importers.
REACH: European Chemicals Agency ECHA - Questions and Answers, Commission Memo, MEMO/08/359.
(Source: European Commission, European Chemicals Agency)
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