REACH

New European Union legislation requires companies to provide detailed information on chemicals.

Disclaimer
These materials are a guide only and are not intended to provide in-depth regulatory or legal review that may be required to properly determine your company’s requirements under Reach. Regulatory and legal questions should be raised to an expert in the field and with legal counsel.

ExxonMobil facilities are moving quickly to comply with the new European Union regulation commonly referred to as REACH (for Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals). REACH was adopted by the European Council in December 2006 and entered into force on June 1, 2007.

While the name of the regulation implies that it will impact the Chemical business, REACH is one of the most complex and far reaching regulations ever adopted by the European legislature and it will also impact all of industry including the Refining and Downstream businesses of ExxonMobil. In the eyes of the REACH legislation, fuels, oils, waxes, lubes and many gases are all chemicals.

The legislation requires industry to manage the risks from these “chemicals” by providing information on their properties and risks and registering that data with a central agency. What this, in effect, means is that the responsibility for ensuring that chemicals are used safely is shifted from the regulatory authorities to the manufacturers and importers of the chemicals.

The goal is to provide a greater level of protection for humans and the environment by ensuring that proper information on storage, handling, chemical make-up and potential exposure scenarios is readily available.