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- Take advantage of your right to information under REACH! It sends a clear message that you do not want to buy products that contain Substances of Very High Concern.
- In addition to the right to information under REACH, quality labels that mark green and user-friendly products can also aid purchasing decisions. We recommend looking for products with the Blue Angel eco-label. The German website Label-online.de assesses quality labels. In Germany, we recommend looking out for the “Blue Angel” eco-label.
- Become a regular reader of environmental and consumer magazines. They contain a lot of information on both safe and unsafe products and chemicals in addition to test reports. Visit the “UBA-Umwelttipps“ (in German only).
- You can do the environment a big favour by purchasing durable products or simply by reducing buying and consumption. Such action would result in fewer resources consumed, fewer chemicals entered into the environment and the food chain, and less waste incurred.
- Extend the lifetime of products, e.g. by mending them instead of buying new ones
Why is REACH important for the general public?
REACH is designed to protect human health and the environment from the risks posed by chemicals. REACH enables products containing ‘substances of very high concern’ (SVHCs) to be identified and avoided. The right to information on SVHCs gives consumers the opportunity to find out for themselves about such substances in everyday items and to base their purchasing decisions on this information. The long-term aim is to ensure that substances of very high concern are no longer used in articles and do not enter the environment during manufacture, in the use phase and afterwards.
Right to information
IWhere chemical substances are incorporated into consumer goods (e.g. dye in a plastic product), information about any Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) and on safe handling must be communicated along the entire supply chain. This applies as soon as the concentration of an SVHC in the product exceeds 0.1 per cent by weight. Consumers are entitled to this information from retailers, importers or the manufacturer upon request. This right is guaranteed independent of actual purchase. Enquiries must be answered within 45 days. This right to information did not exist prior to REACH. You can submit your enquiry quickly and easily using our Scan4Chem app (only until 1 November 2026, see below). Alternatively, you can, for example, use the specimen letter provided by the Federal Environment Agency (in German or English), or enquire directly in-store.
The duty to supply information applies for most solid objects used by consumers, including household goods, textiles, shoes, sportswear, furniture, DIY products, electrical & electronic equipment, toys, vehicles, packaging etc. It does not extend to sectors governed by separate regulations such as, e.g., liquid or powdery products (e.g. paints, varnishes, detergents and cleaning agents), medical devices, pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, animal feed.
App Scan4Chem
Our App Scan4Chem makes it easier for you to get information from article suppliers about substances of very high concern in their articles. The app was developed within the EU LIFE project AskREACH together with 19 project partners. It is available in many countries and can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store. The Scan4Chem web app can be used via the internet.
You can use the app to scan barcodes of articles and send SVHC requests to the appropriate article supplier. The app is based on a European database in which companies can enter information on their articles. This information is then available to consumers directly via the app.
Use the app to scan barcodes of articles and send SVHC requests automatically generated by the app to the suppliers. Alternatively, enter the barcode or product name into the web app and send enquiries via your own email client. Use your right to information to show companies that you do not want to buy articles containing substances of very high concern! With your market power you can achieve a lot!
Unfortunately, the AskREACH tools are not being used sufficiently by either consumers or businesses to ensure a balance of costs and benefits.
Consequently, all AskREACH IT tools, including the smartphone app, web app, database and supplier front end, will cease operating at the end of the year. Consumers will be able to submit SVHC enquiries via the apps until 1 November 2026, giving companies sufficient time to respond by the end of the year. The smartphone app will be removed from the app stores on 1 November 2026.
We would like to thank all users of the tools and all our supporters for their interest and commitment. Please bear in mind that REACH Article 33 obligations remain in place. Consumers have the right to ask companies about substances of very high concern, and companies must respond. The partners in the AskREACH project will continue their efforts to promote the exchange of information on chemicals contained in articles throughout the entire value chain, as well as the availability of this information to consumers.