Market volume changes of chemicals subject to REACH authorisation (Signal)

Authorisation is a major tool put in place by the REACH Regulation for controlling EU market access to ‘substances of very high concern’ (SVHC). REACH requirements ensure that SVHC can only be used in the EU, if companies are authorised to do so — and, if so, then only for specific authorised uses. Therefore, the use of substances subject to REACH authorisation can be expected to decrease over time.

In a series of reports, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) analysed the volumes of substances subject to the REACH Regulation.  A first report studied the aggregated tonnages reported in the REACH registration database for different SVHC between 2010 and 2021. While no causal link can be made between regulatory measures and reported tonnages, the Figure suggests a substantial reduction in the volumes of substances subject to REACH authorisation starting in 2010. The total reduction in the EU was estimated to be about 600 kilotonnes — or 45% — as of 2010. Taking into account the different starting dates from which on an authorisation was required, the estimated reduction still amounted to 20% or about 170 kilotonnes.

Some differences between substance groups are noteworthy. For example, the use of five phthalates — mainly bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) used in various products from flooring to footwear — fell by 90% from 2010 to 2021, while that of anthracene oil (used e.g. in dyes) and coal tar pitch high temperature (used e.g. in the aerospace industry) dropped by 30%. The overall annual reduction in SVHC uses was estimated to be 4% from 2010 onward, and 14% if accounting for when an authorisation was required. This suggests that, in many instances, the onset of the REACH authorisation requirement drove reductions in the use of these substances in the EU.

In another report, ECHA sought to estimate the causal impacts of the REACH authorisation process on the use of SVHC in Sweden and showed that regulatory action (including harmonised classification/identification as SVHC) over the past decade has led to substantial reductions in use volumes. Five years after a substance entered Annex XIV of REACH (and thus became subject to authorisation), Swedish firms’ average annual SVHC dropped by about 40%. It is, however, unclear to which extent these findings can be extrapolated to the rest of the EU. This is because other Member States do not require companies to regularly report their use volumes of hazardous chemicals.