EU REACH: The Continued March of Candidate SVHC Lists and the Authorization Process – What’s Next?

While the European Union’s REACH regulation (formally, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) has been in force for nearly two years, it is rolling out in a slow and determined fashion. In October 2008 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) produced the first candidate list of 15 substances of very high concern (SVHCs). Last spring, in early June, seven of those substances were prioritized to be the first to go through the authorization process. This is the next step towards possible future restrictions for these substances. Then, in early September the second list of 15 proposed candidate SVHCs was issued and 14 of these substances were then added to the candidate list of SVHCs in mid-January this year. What is next and what does all this mean to manufacturers of electronic components and products?

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European Update: CE Labeling Directive Formalizes Requirements

Since the implementation of the “New Approach” and the CE Marking in the European Union, the requirements for device labeling have evolved, been reviewed, variously implemented and not uniformly enforced. A closer look at post-market compliance is an evolving trend across many economies. Discussions in the European Union, North America and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) continue to focus on post-market surveillance and enforcement. One area of scrutiny, particularly in Europe is device labeling.