Publication - February 4, 2013
On 5 February the Commission releases its five year review of the REACH chemicals law. Greenpeace has prepared a briefing to explain the REACH process and consider what opportunities there are for improving it.
Models Pose at the REACH Fashion Show in Brussels, to highlight that substitution of hazardous chemicals works 2006 © Greenpeace / Philip Reynaers
The REACH Regulation came into force in the European Union on 1 June 2007 and remains one of the most significant pieces of EU legislation relating to the protection of human health and the environment. This law was the product of almost a decade of efforts to devise a new system for the control of chemicals throughout the European economy.
After five years of operation, the European Commission conducted a review [1] of the legislation in 2012, to see how effectively it has operated, to check its impact and to investigate how it might be improved. The outcome of that review will be released this week.
REACH after 5 years: A bit done, more to do