App Scan4Chem
This APP supports communication between consumers and manufacturers.
There are currently more than 100,000 different chemicals on the market worldwide. To ensure their safe handling, the European Union (EU) introduced a Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH Regulation) in 2007. One focus of this EU regulation is on substances of very high concern (SVHCs). Chemicals are identified as SVHCs based on certain properties, such as carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, or high environmental hazards. Such chemicals are placed on the REACH Candidate List. This list is updated approximately every six months. In December 2020, this list contained 209 substances and substance groups, such as bisphenol A, various plasticizers, and lead compounds. The listed chemicals are candidates for inclusion in the list of substances subject to authorization, which currently contains 54 substances and substance groups. These substances may only be used in production if they have been approved for this purpose.
Furthermore, some SVHCs are already subject to bans and restrictions on the concentration of certain articles, but this does not apply to all of these chemicals. Therefore, many can still be legally present in everyday products.
Once a substance is included on the Candidate List, REACH imposes an information obligation on all manufacturers and distributors. They must inform consumers upon request if an SVHC is present in an article at a concentration above 0.1 percent. This information must be provided within 45 days at the latest.
To inform consumers more easily and quickly whether a product contains an SVHC, the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) and Global 2000, with the support of the Federal Ministry, together with 18 other partners from 12 European countries, have developed the Scan4Chem smartphone app. A further medium- to long-term goal is to develop a comprehensive database of product information that can serve as an immediate decision-making aid. This will also support manufacturers and retailers in fulfilling their information obligations under REACH.
Further information is available on the website scan4chem.at (in German only) and askreach.eu.