scope:

This Technical Report is intended to provide information on the chemicals listed in the Candidate List /Annex XIV of the Regulation (EC) 1907/2006, also known as REACH (Regulation, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) and their usage and presence in the footwear industry. The Annex XIV is a list of substances of very high concern (SVHC), chemicals which are under evaluation by the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) who is overseeing the implementation of the REACH Regulation. Following the evaluation of the Annex XIV substances, ECHA can take the decision to restrict the substances. This restriction may take the form of an authorization for use, an authorisation only for specific applications in specified fields or, in some cases, a complete ban on the use of the substance. During the evaluation process, these chemicals are not forbidden or limited in use. The regulation requires that the user shall be informed if one or more of these substances are present in any part of the article in quantity over 0,1% by weight. This Technical Report shows which of these chemicals may be present in footwear materials and the footwear industry in order to help shoe manufacturers to collect mandatory information from suppliers regarding the content of these chemicals and, at same time, allow them to provide accurate information to their customers. The test methods reported in Annex 1 are informative only to identify where these chemicals may be found and control the use along the supply chain where their suppliers are not under the jurisdiction of the REACH Regulation The European Chemical agency, ECHA, implements the Annex XIV and the candidate list to Annex XIV of REACH, every 6 months. This revision interval is difficult to follow by the standardization procedures. Therefore this document reflects the situation at the date of 20th December 2011. This document will be annually revised. This Technical Report does not concern the substances for which restriction have been already enacted under Annex XVII of REACH. NOTE Chemicals that are restricted under Annex XVII, are identified as a category 1 chemical in CEN ISO/TR 16178.