Anyone seeking to avoid contact with substances of very high concern can make use of his right to information. ⁠REACH⁠ places the onus of providing information on traders upon a request from concerned citizens as to whether a certain product contains such substances. Businesses or producers must answer the enquiry within 45 days’ time. The obligation to provide information does not require purchase of any given product.

Substances of very high concern (SVHC) denote chemicals that are subject to greater regulation by the European REACH chemicals regulation. They include carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic chemicals (CMR substances) and substances that are persistent in the environment, bioaccumulate and are toxic (⁠PBT⁠ substances). Endocrine disruptors are also problematic chemicals.

Registration obligation enters in effect on after 1 June 2011 requiring businesses to advise the European Chemicals Agency of products they produce or import that contain more than 0.1 percent of a substance of very high concern which is used in a total volume of more than one tonne per year.