Austrian REACH Helpdesk

The website reachhelpdesk.at offers information about REACH, which could be particularly helpful for small and medium-sized enterprises. Answers to questions regarding the registration of substances as well as deadlines and other obligations can be found at reachhelpdesk.at, where there is a list of frequently asked questions, and for any further questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail office@reachhelpdesk.at or call on +43 1 3100 472. The Austrian REACH Helpdesk is administered by the Austrian Federal Environment Agency (“Umweltbundesamt”) on behalf of the Federal Ministry.

Austria’s REACH Helpdesk also offers business-owners an opportunity to present their ideas and assistance concerning both REACH services and policy, under the umbrella of the Public-Private Partnership. Based on their experiences with REACH obligations and subject matters, business-owners can propose ideas and concepts aimed at increasing efficiency and mitigating the negative effects the use of chemicals has one the environment, for instance through the reduction of chemical exposure. In addition, any approaches designed to benefit businesses are in demand, such as the application of chemical leasing, which involves a chemical company supplying a chemical for a specific service while still retaining ownership of it.

What does REACH mean?

“REACH” stands for the Regulation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals. This new, comprehensive EU Chemicals Regulation combines some of the earlier measures provided by the chemicals policy, and puts forward an over-arching concept for the registration of chemical substances and the evaluation of risks. REACH aims to have over 90 % of the market volume of chemicals registered on its database, with roughly 30,000 substances expected to be registered according to the REACH Regulation. The information requirements comprise the substance identity, physico-chemical properties, the toxicity and ecotoxicity of the chemicals, as well as information on the enterprises placing these substances on the market. For substances with a higher production volume, more comprehensive data may be required. Registered substances are subjected to a graduated risk assessment procedure and the individual applications are assessed. In addition, these assessments should take into account the experiences of companies that use these chemicals.