This guide recommends practices and solutions for global supply chain information exchange for substances, preparations, and articles as identified by REACH. The first five annexes of REACH guidance standards serve as a central repository for REACH industry guidance that spans industry sectors and facilitates collaboration across complex global supply chains. Annexes 6-9 provide key EU guidance on information exchange in the supply chain.

Section 6 outlines the information that is to be exchanged in the supply chain both in the upstream and downstream directions. Fig. 4 provides a schematic depicting data flow in the upstream and downstream directions. A list of the elements to be included in this exchange is represented in Tables 1-5 that capture the necessary data fields for information exchange. Case studies 1-3 in Annex A1-Annex A3 provide three sample scenarios wherein a customer and supplier complete these five tables to exchange data to address their REACH compliance issues.

1.1 This guide will assist companies that manufacture, buy, or sell, or both, substances, preparations, and articles to ensure that supply chains comply with the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. This is accomplished by identifying the specific information elements that must be specified, requested and exchanged in communication between actors in the supply chain.

1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.