Scan4Chem

Find out about substances of very high concern in products

Protect yourself and the environment against chemicals of very high concern! You have the right to obtain information about the presence of such substances in products such as toys, sports articles, furniture, electrical appliances, or clothes. Substances of very high concern (SVHCs) are chemicals which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic for reproduction, or particularly harmful to the environment. With Scan4Chem you can use the barcode of a product to obtain information about any SVHCs it contains.

This means you can learn about and avoid products containing substances of very high concern. With your enquiry, you signal to companies that you do not want to use such products. The legislators have created a right to request information. Make use of it!

Product suppliers can enter their information in a database that is associated with the app, so that the information is available to the app users at any time. If no information is contained in the database, the app helps to generate and transmit your request. The more requests app-users submit then the more entries product suppliers will make in the database. You can help to make the app better, so that it will be used more and more! You are not alone: the app is already available in 18 European countries, and will grow to cover all of Europe!

Background:

The European Union REACH regulation specifies that consumers have a right to request information about substances of very high concern in products. If you make such a request, the supplier is obliged to inform you about any such substances contained at a concentration above 0.1% by weight. The product suppliers bear sole responsibility for the response and its correctness.

The right to know applies for “articles”, i.e. for most products and packaging, but not for food or certain products such as cosmetics, cleaning products, or surface coatings which are covered by their own special regulations. If a product is made up of various parts, such as a bicycle, then the supplier must provide information about all the individual components (e.g. handlebar grips).