REACH
What is REACH?
REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) are the new EU regulations regarding chemical substances approved on 18th December 2006 and published with the number 1907/2006 in the Official Gazette of the European Community on 30th December 2006. Being Regulations, REACH does not need to be accepted by national institutions and is therefore applicable in all Member States as from 1st June 2007, the date on which it came into force, in accordance with the times and methods established therein.
General principles
The regulations discipline the manufacture, innovation in the market and the use of all chemical substances produced or imported into Europe, whether these are traded as such or included in preparations or articles, above the threshold of 1 tonne/year for each producer/importer.
Examples of product identification in the steel sector
On the basis of REACH definitions, as regards steel manufacture, the identification of the elements used and obtained in the manufacturing process can be summarised as follows: (Eurofer directive, VDEh 29/08/2008)
| Name in REACH | Definition |
| SUBSTANCE | Iron ore and derived products and metals that are in the analysis of the different steels:Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Mo, Al etc. |
|---|---|
| PREPARATION | Products such as Fe-alloys and additives such as lime, etc. |
| ARTICLE | Product normally obtained through: Casting: at the state of semi-finished products, slabs, billets, blooms, etc. Rolling: at the state of cold rolled and re-rolled products, coils, plate, bars, rods, etc. Processing: at the state of processed products, welded tubes, tins, structures, car bodies, doors, etc. |
On the basis of the above-mentioned classification, the Arvedi Group is placed as a manufacturer of both rolled and processed articles.
The substances contained in the articles produced by the Arvedi Group are not subject to release in normal and reasonably foreseeable conditions of use.
Other information relative to REACH can be obtained on the website of the various companies.
