Topic outline

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    REACH

    The REACH Regulation sets rules for registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals and communication in supply chains. The acronym REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.

    In the event of an uncontrolled risk to human health or the environment, the European Commission may restrict or ban the manufacture, use or sale of the substance on its own, in a mixture or in an article in the EU. The Regulation therefore also applies to substances used in electrical equipment. 

    You can find the substance-specific restrictions and bans in Annex XVII to the REACH Regulation and on the website of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The RoHS legislation partly limits the same substances as the REACH Regulation and overlapping legislation has been avoided. REACH restricts the use of certain substances for different purposes, and some of the restrictions also apply to electrical equipment. 

    Examples of restrictions on electrical equipment in annex XVII:

    • entry 27 Nickel; for example, nickel shall not be released from the parts of wrist watches that come into contact with the skin.
    • entry 50 Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, PAH, for example, the plastic or rubber parts of tools shall not contain more than 1 mg/kg of any of the PAH compounds mentioned in the restriction.
    • entry 51 phthalates DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP in electric toys. The RoHS legislation restricts the use of item 51 phthalates in electrical and electronic equipment. Instead of the RoHS restriction, the REACH restriction applies to toys. 


    The obligations for substances of very high concern, i.e. SVHC, also apply to electrical equipment and their manufacturers, importers and distributors. Obligations of the business manufacturing, importing and supplying electrical equipment regarding the SVHCs on the candidate list:


    The business is obliged to inform other operators about the SVHC content of an electrical equipment. If a consumer requests information on SVHC contained in a article, the information must be provided to them within 45 days. You can find more information on the obligations related to the SVHC and SCIP database in the following section.

     
    Read more about REACH:

    The Tukes website: REACH – Registration, authorisations and restrictions

    Chemical information service for companies| Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)

    EU:REACH Regulation

    European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): List of restrictions

     

    SCIP database

    Companies supplying electrical equipment and their parts must also submit a SCIP (Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects Products) notification if the equipment or its part contains SVHC above 0.1% by weight. SCIP is a database set up under the Waste Framework Directive that collects information on articles containing substances of very high concern (SVHCs). 

    A SCIP notification must be made if:

    • you are a manufacturer and assembler of electrical equipment in the EU
    • you import electrical equipment into the EU
    • you are a distributor of electrical equipment in the EU or other supplier of electrical equipment in the supply chain. 


    Only retailers supplying electrical equipment directly to consumers (retail shop) are not required to provide information for the SCIP database. If the retailer is also a manufacturer or importer into the EU, they must make the notification.

    Submitting notifications for the SCIP database is a new obligation for the suppliers of articles, that is, electrical equipment. The suppliers of electrical equipment had to provide information on the SVHCs in their supply chain in the past when they complied with the EU’s chemicals legislation.  

    ECHA established the SCIP database, which is open to all, on 14 September 2021. Electrical equipment and their parts are one of the most common product categories for which notifications have been made. Lead and its various compounds is one of the most common substances covered by the notifications. For example, lead is used in batteries, lamps and electric stoves. Although the use of lead is restricted by the RoHS legislation, RoHS exemptions allow the use of lead in electrical and electronic equipment in certain applications, in which case a SCIP notification must be made. 

     
    Read more about the SCIP database:

    SCIP notification of articles – Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)

    Chemical information service for companies – Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)

    SCIP – ECHA (europa.eu)


      

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