ECHA CHEM Expanded with Regulatory Data on Chemicals

On 16 September 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced the expansion of its ECHA CHEM database to include regulatory data on chemicals. The upgrade means that, in addition to substance information, users can now access details on regulatory processes and legal obligations under several EU laws.

Integration of Key EU Regulations

In this release, ECHA CHEM incorporates regulatory processes and lists from the following chemicals regulations and directives:

• REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
• CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) Regulation
• POP (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Regulation
• Drinking Water Directive

Under REACH, the update covers the list of restricted substances and the restriction process, the Authorisation List and ECHA’s recommendations for inclusion, substances of very high concern (SVHC) and the Candidate List, as well as dossier and substance evaluation.

This integration provides a single point of access to chemical identity data, classification and labelling information, REACH registration details, and other regulatory lists.

Drinking Water Directive Positive Lists

On 24 September 2025, ECHA further announced that the European positive lists under the Drinking Water Directive are now available in ECHA CHEM. The information is searchable, can be filtered by material type, and is linked with relevant data collected under REACH and CLP.

Improved Access and Transparency

The expanded system aims to improve transparency and efficiency by centralising regulatory and substance data. Companies, regulators, and other stakeholders can now more easily assess compliance obligations, restrictions, and potential risks related to chemical use.

Webinar Recording Available

ECHA presented the new features in a webinar on 23 September 2025. The session is now available for viewing and includes demonstrations of the platform and explanations of the first set of regulatory process and obligation lists. The recording can be accessed here.