REACH (SVHC)
also: REACH · SVHC · Candidate List · SCIP database
The EU chemicals regulation; for hardware makers, the main effect is disclosure duties when products contain listed substances of very high concern above 0.1%.
REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) governs chemicals in the EU. For finished products, legally "articles", the main obligation arises when an article contains a substance on the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) above 0.1% by weight: suppliers must pass information to their customers and, on request, to consumers, and suppliers in the EU must notify ECHA's SCIP database. Some substances are also restricted outright in certain uses.
The Candidate List is updated regularly, so compliance is ongoing rather than a one-time check.
Where it bites: SVHCs hide in cable plasticizers, plastic flame retardants, coatings and batteries, and declarations from deep in the supply chain are often incomplete.
Founder takeaway
Request REACH SVHC declarations from suppliers, re-check them when the Candidate List is updated, and make one person responsible for chemical compliance.
sources
engineer review pending