New European legislation on the use of chemicals, known as REACH—an abbreviation of Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals—calls for the registration of approximately 30,000 existing chemicals by manufacturer or user of any of the 30,000 chemicals in products sold in Europe. Pre-registration of existing substances began June 1, 2008, and must be completed by December 1, 2008.
Major vehicle manufacturer's associations and the automotive supply chain have formed a task force for REACH. The group has issued guidelines and complimentary documents which are available for download free of charge at www.acea.be/index.php/news/category/reach.