What is the REACH standard?

What is the meaning of Reach?

Have you ever heard of REACH regulations? If you're a professional in the field of costume jewelry design, you're bound to be familiar with it. In fact, it's the essential European regulation that you really need to know about.

What is REACH?

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals.

It is a European Union regulation (Regulation 1907/2006), which came into force on June 1, 2007, designed to regulate the use of chemical substances in Europe. Its aim is to guarantee a high level of protection against the risks associated with chemical substances. Finished products must be tested and found compliant before being placed on the market.

Thanks to extensive work, the European Chemicals Agency(ECHA), based in Helsinki, Finland, had registered 30,000 substances and their potential risks by May 1, 2018, across all fields of activity.

What are the objectives of the REACH regulation?

When setting up the European REACH regulation, member states set various objectives:

• Toimprove protection of human health and the environment from chemical substances.
• Make it safer for employees to handle chemical substances,
• Strengthen the competitiveness of industry,
• Establish identical, transparent information on the nature and risks of substances, from supplier to end customer.

In the field of costume jewelry, REACH aims to limit the use of nickel and also heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury (Annex XVII of the REACH regulation):

• Lead: the concentration of lead must be equal to or less than 0.05% by weight, i.e. 500 mg/kg (500 ppm parts per thousand), for articles of jewelry and costume jewelry, as well as hair accessories (bracelets, necklaces, rings, piercing jewelry, wristwatches and bracelets, brooches, cufflinks) and the materials from which the jewelry is made.
  In large quantities, lead can have developmental neurotoxic, cardiovascular and renal effects when absorbed by the body.

• Cadmium: the cadmium concentration must be equal to or less than 0.01% by weight, i.e. 100 mg/kg (100 ppm part per thousand), for metal beads and all elements used in the manufacture of jewelry, as well as metal parts of jewelry articles and parts of metal parts used in the manufacture of jewelry.tal parts of jewelry and costume jewelry, hair accessories (bracelets, necklaces, rings, piercing jewelry, wristwatches and bracelets, brooches, cufflinks) and the materials from which jewelry is made.
  Cadmium is a recognized carcinogen, causing kidney damage and brittle bones with prolonged exposure.

• Nickel: according to European Directive 94/27/EC, the level of nickel in direct and prolonged contact with the skin must be less than 0.5 µg per square centimeter per week (0.5µg/cm²/week) or 0.2 µg per square centimeter per week (0.2µg/cm²/week) for any shank assembly penetrating the body. This applies to earrings, necklaces, bracelets, chains, anklets, rings, watch cases, bracelets and clasps, rivet buttons, rivet buckles, zippers and metal markings when used in clothing).
  In large quantities, nickel causes allergies when in prolonged contact with the skin.

Who is subject to REACH?

This European regulation concerns all companies in the European Union that manufacture, import, use or sell articles that may have harmful effects on health or the environment. This includes manufacturers, importers and suppliers of articles, wholesalers, distributors and downstream users.

How do you know if a product is REACH-compliant?

Well, you have to test it! At Perles & Co, we check all our products. On delivery, if the result for one of the heavy metals exceeds the set limit, the product is systematically set aside and returned to the supplier.

To find out whether your creations, or imported items not purchased from Perles & co, comply with the REACH standard, we can carry out pre-checks on samples using our X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF).
These new services are available to you, via our website and if your business is based in mainland France, to check the quality and conformity of jewelry components you have not purchased from Perles & Co.
However, Perles & Co is not a substitute for a certified analysis laboratory. The results provided have no legal value and are not certified.