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REACH registration (EU chemicals regulation)
What it is
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals requires any substance placed on the EU market above one tonne a year to be registered with a dossier on identity, hazard and safe use. Substances of very high concern face authorisation or restriction
Non-EU manufacturers register through an Only Representative established in the EU
Impact on industries
- Registration is a genuine entry barrier - the dossier cost and technical burden exclude informal producers from the EU market entirely
- A registered exporter gains durable access to a high-value market where buyers cannot easily switch to unregistered suppliers
- Cost falls on the exporter with no revenue during the process, and each substance requires its own registration
- Substances can be restricted or moved to the authorisation list after registration, stranding the investment and the product
- Similar regimes in the UK, Korea and elsewhere multiply the compliance requirement for the same molecule