REACH «Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals» is the acronym designating the new EU chemicals regulation n°1907/2006. This directive is designed to provide the highest possible level of protection for health and the environment in respect of the harmful effects of hazardous chemicals.

The obligations and restrictions introduced with this directive concerning the use of hazardous substances and preparations are not applicable to SapiSelco products, which are made exclusively of nylon. Therefore all products sold by SapiSelco fully comply with REACH prescriptions.

All manufacturers and importers based in the EU are required to examine all the chemical substances, including discontinued substances, utilised in their products, in order to establish any possible harmful effects. These substances must then be registered. In the absence of this pre-registration process the substances in question can no longer circulate within the EU. The obligation for registration arises from the quantity of one tonne of the substance in question per year, for each manufacturer or importer.

Rather than concerning chemical products exclusively, REACH can also include objects in certain conditions.

The sale and use of such products is permitted only when the foregoing conditions are fulfilled.

Communication relative to hazards and safe use must be guaranteed throughout the entire supply chain.

The companies affected by the REACH directive are those engaged in exporting more than one tonne/year of the following substances to EU countries, either directly or through their customers:

• chemical substances in as-is form;
• chemical substances in the form of preparations (blends of chemical substances, including metal alloys);
• chemical substances present in products or components from which they can be subsequently released (e.g. scented candles, ink cartridges);
• products containing «particularly hazardous» substances in a concentration exceeding 0.1%, which appear in annex XIV of the REACH directive.

For more informations:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/REACH

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm