Your complete guide to reaching to manufacturers and importers in UK

More and more products are subject to a lot of restrictions. If you want to produce or sell in the UK, we advise you to read this article. Indeed, the REACH restriction will certainly be required.

REACH compliance aims to ensure that products are free of chemicals that are subject to restrictions such as heavy metals and other substances that exceed set limits. The most obvious examples are lead and various forms of phthalates.

This article will help you understand how manufacturers work and how to import products from the UK. DocShipper offers you its services to simplify your procedures. If you want to import or sell in the UK, our qualified experts in this field will be happy to help you with the complexities of REACH regulations.

DocShipper would like to remind you that this article only concerns the UK and not Northern Ireland, which is still part of the European Union.

Table of Contents

UK REACH description

Like many countries today, there are a number of restrictions to follow when manufacturing various products. In the UK, REACH regulations list a number of chemicals and heavy metals. It does not only concern saleable products, so-called "finished products", but also raw materials. The UK REACH regulation invites interest in assessing other materials that may be hazardous to consumers. As you may have understood, this regulation mainly concerns manufacturers and importers according to the regulations in place in each country. In our article we will compare the UK REACH standard with the European Union standard.

Since 2018, the European Union has guaranteed that this regulation will continue to work as planned, even despite the BREXIT of the United Kingdom.

Products concerned

As explained above, the REACH regulation in the United Kingdom concerns a large majority of chemicals and heavy metals, whether they are in their initial form, inserted in mixtures of several substances or in the form of finished products, distributed directly to final consumers.

Here is an exhaustive list of some of the finished products affected by this regulation; Toys, high-tech products (most of which include electronics), clothing and furniture are items subject to very strict controls.

Difference between the REACH of the EU and that of the UNITED KINGDOM?

The REACH regulation that applies to the UK also applies to the European Union. The two powers follow the same process in the implementation of this regulation, and in its operation; when an unauthorized substance is detected by an authority it must be registered.

To help you understand how it works, we give you an example. The UK REACH regulation (2008) is derived from the European Union REACH regulation, so there are big similarities between the two.

Substance registration

With the BREXIT context, all importers or manufacturers exceeding one ton or more of production per year are required to register their substances.

These traders are also subject to other rules;

- Obtaining all types of information on the properties and use of their production or imports exceeding one ton per year.

- They must also calculate the risks that these represent for the consumers as well as the interest of their use.

From 2021, these importers or manufacturers are required to register the substances used in the manufacture of their products on the site "comply with UK REACH".

It is important to note that once you register on the UK REACH website, you are not required to register on the European website as the EU REACH service communicates with the UK REACH service and has the same similarities.

You will therefore be subject to mandatory registration if you want to manufacture or import into the UK.

Restrictions on REACH substances for UK manufacturers

It is therefore very important to keep up to date with the list of regulated products as it is regularly updated by these two governments.

Nevertheless, we propose you a small exhaustive list of some substances listed in the United Kingdom and in the European Union:

- Substance : DeHP / DBP / BBP / PHATALATES / DIBP

Level below 0.1% by weight: for toys, childcare products and plastic materials. (same for UK and EU).

- Substance : Benzene

Rate lower than 0.1% by weight: for toys or their components. (identical for both governments)

- Substance: Lead

Rate lower than 0.05% by weight: for products from jewelry (identical for the United Kingdom and the European Union).

- Substance: Chromium VI

Rate less than 0.0002% by weight: for products containing cement.

- Substance : Cadmium

Rate lower than 0.01% of the weight: for products containing polystyrene and its derivatives. (Same as above)

- Substance: Toluene

Rate lower than 0.1% by weight: for adhesive type products

- Substance: Contained in tattoo and make-up inks

Unknown rate; to be implemented in 2022 (with additional bans on hydrocarbons, metals, methanol and azodyes).

Some examples of SVHC substances

Here are some examples of products that may be classified as SVHC:

- Category 1A and 1B products; represent products that are carcinogenic and may harm consumer fertility.

- Products with persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) substances as components.

- Products classified as vPvB are products composed of very persistent and very bioaccumulative substances.

These materials can be found in consumer products but also in toys, paint, hair products such as hairspray and gel and also in cleaning products such as detergents.

We also advise you to take a look at our article on dangerous products for transport, which may be useful to you and complements the issues in this article.

What duties for importers and manufacturers

To help you, we have drawn up a list of things to do when your products contain one of these substances for importers and manufacturers. This list is to be followed by all importers or manufacturers exceeding one ton of production and/or people who produce or import products where the level of concentration of dangerous substances exceeds 0.1% w/w.

- Obligation to communicate information on the listed substances contained in the products supplied.

- If produced or imported, the right to notify the HSE of the listed substances in the products supplied.

How to control products: UK REACH testing laboratories

If you do not know the exact composition of the manufactured or imported products, we advise you to use laboratories that will analyze the content of your products, so you will know if your products contain prohibited or restricted substances.

Here are some examples of laboratories within reach of France: LabCorp, Intertek, DEKRA UNITED KINGDOM.

Once these tests are done, you will be able to provide the test result, which is often required to market your products via various entities.

FAQ | Articles title

Which products are classified as dangerous during transport?

For many businesses, shipping hazardous materials is unavoidable. What is the most effective course of action? Remembering that there are 9 distinct categories of risky items Transport, workplace, storage, consumer, and environmental protection laws apply to these risky commodities. This is being done to avoid mishaps! We'll look at these 9 classes now : 1 : Explosives 2 : Gaz 3 : Flammable liquids 4 : Flammable solids 5 : Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides 6 : Toxic and infectious substances 7 : Radioactive material 8 : Corrosive Substances 9 : Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

Is the UK REACH similar to that of the European Union?

The EU REACH Regulation, often known as UK REACH, became a part of UK legislation on January 1, 2021, as a result of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The UK adopted REACH and associated regulations with the modifications required to make them work in a domestic setting.

What is the UK REACH?

The majority of chemical compounds produced in or imported into Great Britain (GB) must comply with the UK REACH law (England, Scotland, Wales). It might be: a material existing alone. a component in a composition, as ink or paint.

What are disturbing substances?

SVHCs are drugs that pose risks with dire repercussions. They may, for instance, induce cancer, have other dangerous characteristics, last a long time in the environment, and/or gradually increase in concentrations in animals. Substances having the following characteristics may be classified as SVHCs under UK REACH's Article 57: - Substances that, according to the GB CLP rule, fulfill the requirements for categorization as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or harmful for reproduction (CMR) category 1A or 1B. - Substances that meet the requirements of UK REACH's Annex 13 that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT). - Substances that meet the requirements in UK REACH's Annex 13 and are very persistent and extremely bioaccumulative (vPvB). - Compounds that cause as much worry as drugs fitting the aforementioned criteria. These compounds may be endocrine disruptors or have characteristics that, although not satisfying the requirements for being a CMR, PBT, or vPvB, are likely to have substantial consequences on human health or the environment, according to scientific research. These chemicals will be recognized on a case-by-case basis.

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