REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, of Chemicals) is the new EU regulation on chemicals manufactured within the EU and imported into the EU which went into effect on June 1, 2007. This new legislation was put into place because of the lack of information on the hazards and risks to human health and the environment of chemicals. The Registration of chemicals requires the manufacturer or importer of chemicals to register any substance they supply to the EU at a rate greater than one ton per year. Registration requires industry to provide toxicological and environmental data on each chemical. The registrations are phased out over a ten year span (2008-2018), starting with the high tonnage chemicals. The Evaluation involves the REACH authorities reviewing the registration dossiers. This evaluation may lead to advanced restrictions or prohibitive measures, or no action could be taken at all. The Authorization process involves the REACH agency making a ruling on the chemical. If a chemical is ruled to be a danger to humans or the environment, substitutes will be required.
In essence, REACH transfers the responsibility of gathering health and safety data from the government to the chemical industry. Arch Personal Care Products is dedicated to maintaining compliance to these new regulations and has no intent to discontinue or reformulate any of our products because of the REACH legislation.
