Progress in Chemicals Management Must Be Matched by Faster Action

ECHA’s latest report (https://lnkd.in/eyZmhws2) finds that implementation of the EU’s REACH and CLP regulations continues to make progress, helping to protect human health and the environment while supporting innovation and competitiveness. The report, covering 2021–2025, highlights a maturing chemicals management system and a shift from registration towards more active substance management.

This is encouraging—but implementation alone is not enough. Recent assessments by civil society have shown that many planned restrictions on hazardous chemicals remain delayed, leaving people and the environment exposed to substances of concern for longer than necessary.

As the EU debates competitiveness and simplification, it is essential not to lose sight of the original purpose of REACH and CLP: preventing harm before it occurs. Strong implementation must go hand in hand with timely regulatory action, greater transparency, and faster substitution of hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives.

Protecting health, workers, communities, and future generations requires both effective enforcement and political commitment to keep advancing chemical safety.