Chemical substances Provision of information
Source: BUS Rheinland-PfalzYou can find out whether everyday products contain certain chemicals that are harmful to health and the environment.
As a consumer, you can ask the retailer, manufacturer or importer whether products contain substances of very high concern. They are legally obliged to provide information as soon as the concentration of the respective substance in the product exceeds 0.1 percent.
Substances of very high concern are chemicals that have certain negative properties for human health or the environment and this has been determined in a formal process at the responsible European Chemicals Agency. The substances of very high concern are listed in the so-called candidate list. You can view this online.
The obligation to provide information applies to most items, for example from the following areas
- Household goods,
- textiles,
- footwear,
- sporting goods,
- furniture,
- DIY supplies,
- electrical/electronic appliances,
- toys,
- vehicles or
- packaging.
It does not apply to areas that are subject to special regulations. These include, for example
- Medical devices,
- medicinal products,
- foodstuffs,
- cosmetics,
- detergents and cleaning agents,
- animal feed,
- plant protection products,
- biocides and
- liquid or powdered products such as paints or varnishes.
The legal basis is the REACH Regulation of 2007, which stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals.