REACh (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals)

A new chemicals statute applicable throughout Europe came into force in June 1, 2007, and is known as REACh (1907/2006/EC). REACh stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals. This is a new EU chemicals ordinance aiming to centralise and simplify chemicals legislation throughout Europe. With this, chemicals manufacturers and importers have assumed responsibility for handling their materials safely.

REACh affects more than just the chemicals industry; Evers-Frank is also affected along the value chain. With its core business of producing catalogues, magazines and newspaper inserts by sheet-fed and heat-set reel-fed offset printing together with further processing, Evers-Frank is a downstream user which uses a substance or preparation as part of its industrial or commercial activities. This means that article 33 of the REACh ordinance is applicable. In our own interests and in order to maintain high supplier and product safety, we take the duties of disclosure very seriously. The duty of disclosure pursuant to article 33 applies to all so-called "substances of very high concern (SVHC)" which fulfil the criteria given in art. 57. These comprise substances which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (categories 1 and 2 respectively) and organic substances which are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB). Moreover, the concentration of such substances contained in the product must amount to more than 0.1 percent by mass. The SVHC list currently comprises 15 different substances and can be viewed on the website of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (echa.europa.eu/chem_data/candidate_list_table_en.asp ).

We satisfy the legal requirements contained in article 33 of the REACh ordinance by means of the following procedure: we are constantly in contact with suppliers of the raw materials and supplies which we use or process in production, and have written information sent to us as to whether these materials contain more than 0.1 percent in mass of the SVHC substances listed. From today's viewpoint and considering the written information provided by our suppliers, it is not to be expected that our products contain a concentration of more than 0.1 percent in mass of SVHC substances.