Information obligations according to Article 33 of the REACH regulation

Special information obligations apply to substances in finished articles suspected to be particularly hazardous (candidate substances), according to Article 33 of the REACH regulation. The respective substances are published by ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) in the so-called candidate list. If an article contains one of these substances in a concentration of more than of 0,1 mass percentage, suppliers are obliged to inform their commercial customers actively about this fact and about a safe use of the product. The minimum information is the name of the substance. Private consumers have also the right to get information about the presence of candidate substances in an article on request within 45 days. The information obligations apply to all members of the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the retailer. If their articles contain candidate substances in a volume of more than one ton per year, manufacturers or importers have to report this fact to ECHA as of June 1, 2011.