ECHA Expands Candidate List to 251 SVHCs

SG 164/25

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) adds one substance of very high concern (SVHC) to the Candidate List, triggering legal obligations for industry.

On November 5, 2025, the ECHA announced the addition of one substance to the Candidate list of SVHCs for authorization. This increases the total number of entries on the Candidate List from 250 to 251.

Highlights of the amendment to the Candidate List are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1

What are the consequences of Candidate List inclusion?

Once a substance is placed on the Candidate List, companies face specific legal obligations when it is present either on its own, in mixtures or in articles.

Duty to communicate on substances in articles

European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) suppliers of an article containing a Candidate List SVHC in a concentration of more than 0.1% are required to provide information to the recipient of the article to allow the safe use of the article. This information must also be supplied to consumers within 45 days when requested.

Duty to notify ECHA under REACH

EU and EEA producers and importers of an article are obliged to notify the ECHA if their article contains a substance on the Candidate List. This applies if the substance meets two conditions:

• The substance is present above 0.1% in those articles
• The total quantity exceeds one tonne per producer or importer per year

Notification must be submitted within six months from the date the substance of inclusion.

Safety data sheets (SDS) for substances on their own and in mixtures

Suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, either on their own or in mixtures, are obliged to provide their customers with an up-to-date safety data sheet (SDS).

Duty to notify ECHA under the Waste Framework Directive

Since January 2021, EU suppliers of articles containing more than 0.1% of an SVHC on the Candidate List are obliged to notify the ECHA (Waste Framework Directive, WFD). This notification is published on the ECHA’s substances of concern in products (SCIP) database.

Additionally, products containing SVHCs do not qualify for the ecolabel award under the EU Ecolabel Regulation.

It is worth noting that the ECHA completed its consultation on the proposed listing of 1,1'-(ethane-1,2 diyl)- bis[pentabromobenzene], also known as decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), as a Candidate List SVHC in August 2025 (SafeGuardS 103/25).

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