EU Consults Over Revised Entry for Microplastics Under REACH

SafeGuardSAutomotive, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Electrical & Electronics, Hardgoods, Personal and Protective Equipment, Softlines, Toys and Juvenile ProductsSep 23, 2025

SG 143/25

The European Union (EU) has informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its intention to revise the requirements for microplastics under the REACH regulation.

In March 2025, the European Commission’s technical services issued a three-part explanatory guide for implementing the restriction of synthetic polymer microparticles (SPMs), also known as microplastics, under entry 78 to Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 ‘Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (Annex VII of REACH, current consolidated version to June 2025, SafeGuardS 57/25). This guide was endorsed by member states by consensus, except for the view that articles with glitter affixed on their surface fall outside the scope of the restriction.

On September 17, 2025, the WTO announced a draft regulation from the EU on its intention to revise entry 78 on SPMs under Annex XVII of REACH. According to the WTO notification, the current enacting terms in entry 78 do not accurately reflect the regulators’ intention:

To derogate all medicinal products, including those used in clinical trials
To derogate uses for product and process-oriented research and development
Not to derogate SPMs permanently incorporated into a solid matrix that is intended to be frequently removed and replaced. This amendment would clarify that paragraph 5, point (c) of entry 78 only covers cases where the end use is expected to last for one year or longer

The proposed amendment for the first two points will apply retroactively from October 2023.

Highlights of a comparison between point (c) to paragraph 5 in entry 78 of Annex XVII of REACH and the draft regulation are summarized in Table 1.

	Entry 78 to Annex XVII of REACH ‘SPMs’	Draft regulation to amend entry 78 to Annex XVII of REACH ‘SPMs’
Paragraph 5, point (c) (derogation for placing on the market of SPMs on their own or in mixtures under paragraph 1)	SPMs which are permanently incorporated into a solid matrix during intended end use	SPMs which are permanently incorporated into a solid matrix during an intended end use of a duration of one year or longer
Date of entry into force	In force	20^th day following publication in the Official Journal of the EU (proposed date of adoption = Q4 of 2025)

Table 1

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