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January 11, 2024 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

ECHA Enforcement Project Removes Hundreds of Products from Market due to REACH Compliance Violations

18% of consumer products inspected by ECHA Forum contained Hazardous Chemicals, violating REACH compliance

An EU-wide enforcement project conducted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Forum has found excessive levels of hazardous chemicals, such as lead and phthalates, in a substantial number of consumer products. The findings, released on December 13, 2023, indicate that 18% of inspected products violated EU chemical laws.

The ECHA enforcement project, carried out in 26 countries throughout 2022, focused on assessing EU REACH compliance, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) compliance, EU RoHS compliance, and restrictions derived from the Toys Directive. National enforcement authorities inspected over 2,400 products and found more than 400 of them in violation of EU laws.

The most common products found in violation include:

Electronic Devices:

• Categories such as electrical toys, chargers, cables, and headphones showed the highest non-compliance rate at 52%.
• Violations were mainly attributed to lead in solders, phthalates in soft plastic components, and cadmium in circuit boards.

Sports Equipment like yoga mats, bicycle gloves, balls, and rubber handles:

• 18% of these products were found to be non-compliant mainly due to the presence of Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) and phthalates in soft plastic, along with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rubber.

Non-electric Toys:

• 16% of toys such as bathing/aquatic toys, dolls, costumes, play mats, and fidget toys, outdoor toys, slime and childcare articles were found to be non-compliant.
• Phthalates found in soft plastic parts were the primary violation, with additional violations for the presence of other restricted substances like PAHs, nickel, boron, or nitrosamines.

Fashion Products:

• 15% of fashion products such as bags, jewelry, belts, shoes, and clothes were found to be non-compliant due to the presence of phthalates, lead, and cadmium.

The non-compliance rate was higher among products originating outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and products of unknown origin.

For manufacturers found in violation, the enforcement measures taken by inspectors were swift and decisive, often resulting in the removal of non-compliant products from the market. This serves as a stark reminder of the significant financial and reputational consequences for non-compliant manufacturers.

GreenSoft’s data services can help prevent loss of market access for regulation violations

EU REACH compliance, EU RoHS compliance and compliance with Persistent Organic Pollutants (EU POP) is mandatory for affected companies that manufacture or distribute products in the European market. As demonstrated by this recent ECHA enforcement project, failure to comply with these regulations can result in loss of market access, supply chain disruptions, and other serious consequences for manufacturers and distributors.

GreenSoft Technology provides personalized Data Services and GreenData Manager software to the electronics manufacturing industry. We’ll help your company ensure supply chain compliance so that you retain access to the European market.

Learn more about our Environmental Compliance Data Services or contact us today to get started.