What is SVHC?
SVHC, “Substance of Very High Concern”, refers to any substance that has adverse effects on human health and the environment. The following substances may be included in Annex XIV according to Article 57 under REACH:
How can I achieve SVHC compliance in accordance with REACH regulation?
Firstly, you need to identify all possible hazardous substances in your products and find out which list they belong to (SVHC candidate list or restriction list or authorisation list). You may do so by carrying out SVHC testing by yourself or asking your suppliers to carry out testing.
Then you could adopt the following measures to achieve REACH compliance if a SVHC is present in your products:
SVHC Notification: Submit notification to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) if any SVHC on the candidate list present in an article has a concentration above 0.1% (w/w) and the total amount of the SVHC exceeds 1 tonne per annum per producer or importer.
Communication Requirement: If any SVHC on the candidate list is present in your product with a concentration above 0.1% (w/w), you are obliged to inform the recipients of the article along the supply chain about the chemical name(s) and how the article can be safely used. REACH further requires this information be made available within 45 days upon consumer request.;
Restriction: Article suppliers not only need to comply with the requirements of SVHC, they also need to comply with the requirements of REACH Restriction. Some candidate SVHCs are also on the REACH restricted substances list (Annex XVII to REACH). Involved parties must screen the REACH restriction list for the restriction most relevant to the products and ensure that the presence of restricted substances in products does not exceed threshold limits set by REACH;
Authorisation: Priority SVHCs on the candidate list will be included in Annex XIV of REACH. Those SVHCs will not be allowed to be used, placed on the market or imported into the EU after data is set unless the company is granted an authorisation.
Comparison between the list of SVHCs and Annex XIV
The list of SVHCs is updated twice every year (in June and December). Actually, it serves as a candidate list for Annex XIV (also known as "List of Substances Subject to Authorisation").
Here is a brief comparison between the two lists.
| List of SVHCs | List of Authorised Substances | |
| Included in the REACH Regulation? | No | Yes. Annex XIV |
| Obligation | Notification and communication (See more details as above) | None |
| Sum | 240 | 59 |
| Note | Candidate list of Annex XIV | These substances cannot be placed on the market or used after a given date, unless an authorisation is granted for their specific use, or the use is exempted from Authorisation. The authorized substances may be included in Annex XVII (List of Restricted Substances) after the sunset date. |
Updates on SVHCs List
The SVHCs List (Candidate List) now contains 240 substances.
The 17th batch of SVHCs: 1 substance was included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 10 July 2017.
The 16th batch of SVHCs: 4 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 13 January 2017.
The 15th batch of SVHCs: 1 substance was included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 20 June 2016.
The 14th batch of SVHCs: 5 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 17 Dec. 2015.
The 13th batch of SVHCs: 2 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 15 June 2015.
The 12th batch of SVHCs: 6 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 17 Dec. 2014.
The 11th batch of SVHCs: 4 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 16 June 2014.
The 10th batch of SVHCs: 7 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 16 Dec. 2013.
The 9th batch of SVHCs: 6 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 30 June 2013.
The 8th batch of SVHCs: 54 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 19 Dec. 2012.
The 7th batch of SVHCs: 13 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 18 June 2012.
The 6th batch of SVHCs: 20 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 19 Dec. 2011.
The 5th batch of SVHCs: 7 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 20 June 2011.
The 4th batch of SVHCs: 8 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 15 Dec. 2010.
The 3rd batch of SVHCs: 8 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 18 June 2010.
Acrylamide was included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 30 Mar. 2010;
The 2nd batch of SVHCs: 14 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 13 Jan. 2010.
The 1st batch of SVHCs: 15 substances were included in the Candidate List for authorisation under REACH Regulation by ECHA on 28 Oct. 2008.
CIRS C&K Testing provides an extensive suite of technical testing services designed to fulfill the demands of REACH SVHC compliance. For any support or inquiries, feel free to reach out to us at test@cirs-group.com.
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The Candidate List for Authorisation (SVHCs List) (updated to 240 substances)
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