{"id":9647,"date":"2025-07-09T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=9647"},"modified":"2025-07-09T09:59:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T06:59:49","slug":"eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep\/","title":{"rendered":"EU REACH 2025: DMAC, NEP Restrictions &#038; New SVHCs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union continues to push for safer chemicals by placing new restrictions on two commonly used industrial solvents and expanding its Candidate List of hazardous substances. Companies across Europe now face tighter rules under REACH, the EU\u2019s chemical safety law, that aim to protect workers, consumers, and the environment.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep\/#Stricter_Controls_for_DMAC_and_NEP\" >Stricter Controls for DMAC and NEP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep\/#Three_More_Hazardous_Chemicals_Join_the_Candidate_List\" >Three More Hazardous Chemicals Join the Candidate List<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep\/#Next_Steps\" >Next Steps<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-reach-2025-dmac-nep\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stricter_Controls_for_DMAC_and_NEP\"><\/span><strong>Stricter Controls for DMAC and NEP<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Through a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2025\/1090\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">amendment<\/a> to Annex XVII of European Union\u2019s comprehensive chemical legislation (<a href=\"https:\/\/environment.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/chemicals\/reach-regulation_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">REACH<\/a>), the solvents <strong>N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC, CAS 127-19-5)<\/strong> and <strong>1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-one (NEP, CAS 2687-91-4)<\/strong> can no longer be used or sold in concentrations of <strong>0.3% or higher<\/strong> unless strict safety measures are in place. This change, issued under Commission Regulation (EU) 2025\/1090, has officially taken effect from June 23, 2025.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two substances in question are widely used in various industrial processes due to their solvency characteristics:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>DMAC is used to produce <strong>synthetic fibers, films, varnishes for electrical insulation, adhesives<\/strong>, and some <strong>car maintenance products<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>NEP is found in <strong>adhesives, paints, sealants, plastics and rubber processing, and oil and gas operations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Studies have shown both substances can harm human reproduction and development. To limit health risks, new <strong>exposure thresholds<\/strong> have been set:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>For <strong>DMAC<\/strong>, the limit is <strong>13 mg\/m\u00b3<\/strong> for inhalation and <strong>1.8 mg\/kg<\/strong> body weight per day through skin contact.<\/li>\n<li>For <strong>NEP<\/strong>, the limits are stricter, with <strong>4.0 mg\/m\u00b3 <\/strong>for inhalation and <strong>2.4 mg\/kg\/day<\/strong> for skin exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">By <strong>December 23, 2026<\/strong>, companies must comply fully with these limits. An <strong>exception<\/strong> gives textile manufacturers using DMAC <strong>until December 23, 2029<\/strong>, to adapt, mainly to allow time for production upgrades like improved ventilation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9657 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/REACH-EU-Tightens-Chemical-Safety.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Three_More_Hazardous_Chemicals_Join_the_Candidate_List\"><\/span><strong>Three More Hazardous Chemicals Join the Candidate List<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Separately, on<strong> June 25, 2025<\/strong>, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) <a href=\"https:\/\/echa.europa.eu\/-\/echa-adds-three-hazardous-chemicals-to-the-candidate-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">added three more substances<\/a> to the <strong>Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC)<\/strong>, raising the total to 250 entries. This list points chemicals with <strong>serious health or environmental hazards<\/strong> that may later face even tighter controls through an authorisation process.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three new substances are:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl-3-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]trisiloxane<\/strong> (<em>CAS 17928-28-8<\/em>): Used in <strong>cosmetics, personal care products, perfumes, <\/strong>and<strong> lab reagents<\/strong>. It\u2019s extremely persistent and builds up in living organisms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decamethyltetrasiloxane<\/strong> (<em>CAS 141-62-8<\/em>): Also very persistent and bioaccumulative. Found in <strong>cosmetics, personal care items, lubricants, <\/strong>and<strong> car care products<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reactive Brown 51<\/strong> (<em>no CAS number assigned, EC 466-490-7<\/em>): A <strong>textile dye<\/strong> flagged for its reproductive toxicity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Next_Steps\"><\/span><strong>Next Steps<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Companies must tell customers and consumers if it\u2019s present in a product at <strong>more than 0.1 % by weight<\/strong>. Consumers can also ask suppliers directly whether a product contains any SVHCs. Importers and producers <strong>must notify ECHA<\/strong> if an article contains a listed substance <strong>within six months of its inclusion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Suppliers must also <strong>update safety data sheets<\/strong> for the affected products. Under the EU\u2019s waste rules, companies must report SVHC content in products to ECHA\u2019s database for tracking substances of concern (SCIP). In addition, any product containing an <strong>SVHC cannot carry the EU Ecolabel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These updates show the EU\u2019s determination to keep pushing for safer chemicals and tighter oversight. By restricting DMAC and NEP and flagging now a total of 250 SVHCs, European regulators are putting more pressure on the industry to phase out harmful substances, invest in safer alternatives, and ensure better protection for workers and consumers alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Union continues to push for safer chemicals by placing new restrictions on two commonly used industrial solvents and expanding its Candidate List of hazardous substances. Companies across Europe now face tighter rules under REACH, the EU\u2019s chemical safety law, that aim to protect workers, consumers, and the environment. &nbsp; Stricter Controls for DMAC&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,545,540],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-regulations-policy-en","category-28","category-545","category-540","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9647"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9659,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9647\/revisions\/9659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}