By Deepa ShettyPublished: 2 min read

Table of Contents

If your company manufactures, imports, or sells products in the EU, screening products and components for REACH Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) is an ongoing compliance task.

The challenge is not simply finding a substance on the REACH Candidate List. Companies need to determine whether relevant SVHCs may be present in their products, whether the available data is sufficient, and what action is required when a potential match is identified.

A reliable SVHC screening tool can automate much of this process—but the quality of the result depends on the regulatory data, substance identification, and product information behind the screening.

What Is REACH SVHC Screening?

SVHC screening is the process of comparing the substances or material information associated with a product against the REACH Candidate List to identify potential SVHC presence.

A typical screening process looks like:

Product → Component → Material → Substance → Candidate List

The objective is to identify potential matches early enough for the company to assess its applicable REACH obligations and maintain appropriate evidence.

For the broader REACH framework, see our REACH compliance guide.

Why Is Manual SVHC Screening Difficult?

Manual screening can work for a small number of products, but becomes difficult when companies manage large BOMs and complex supply chains.

Common problems include:

  • Thousands of components requiring screening
  • Incomplete material or substance information
  • Different substance names and identifiers
  • Outdated supplier declarations
  • Candidate List changes
  • Multiple suppliers for the same component
  • Difficulty tracing a substance back to affected products
  • Repeating the screening process after every regulatory update

A spreadsheet can record screening results, but it does not necessarily solve the underlying data, matching, traceability, and monitoring problems.

What Should an SVHC Screening Tool Do?

A useful screening tool should do more than search a chemical list.

1. Use current regulatory information

The screening process should use the current REACH Candidate List maintained by ECHA. The Candidate List is the authoritative reference for identifying substances included as SVHCs.

2. Identify substances accurately

The tool should be able to work with relevant substance identifiers such as:

  • Substance names
  • CAS numbers
  • EC numbers
  • Material information

This reduces the risk of missing a substance because the supplier used a different name or identifier.

3. Screen products and BOMs

For manufacturers, screening individual chemicals isn't enough.

The tool should help trace:

Product → BOM → Component → Material → Substance

This allows compliance teams to identify which actual products may be affected by a substance match.

4. Identify missing information

One of the most important capabilities is recognising when there isn't enough information to make a reliable determination.

A result of “insufficient data” should not automatically be treated as “no SVHC.”

The system should flag the gap so the company can obtain additional supplier information.

5. Maintain traceability

A screening result should allow the compliance team to understand:

  • What was screened
  • Which substance was identified
  • Which product/component was affected
  • What regulatory data was used
  • When the screening occurred
  • What evidence supported the decision

6. Support ongoing screening

SVHC screening isn't a one-time exercise.

When the Candidate List changes, companies need a way to identify potentially affected products and reassess them.

See our REACH Candidate List updates article for the regulatory-change side of this process.

How Should You Interpret an SVHC Screening Result?

Not every result should be treated as a simple yes/no answer.

A practical screening workflow can distinguish between:

Result

Meaning

Potential match

Available information suggests an SVHC may be present

Confirmed match

Available evidence establishes the relevant substance presence

No identified match

Available information does not identify an SVHC

Insufficient data

There isn't enough information to make a reliable determination

This distinction matters because missing supplier information should not automatically be interpreted as proof that no SVHC is present.

Where supplier information is incomplete or questionable, additional evidence may be required. See our guide on validating REACH SVHC supplier declarations.

How to Choose an SVHC Screening Tool

Before selecting a tool, ask:

Regulatory data

  • Does it use current Candidate List information?
  • Can I identify when the regulatory data was updated?

Screening capability

  • Can it screen complete BOMs?
  • Can it match different substance identifiers?
  • Can it handle large product/component volumes?

Data quality

  • Does it identify missing information?
  • Can supplier declarations and material data be incorporated?

Results and traceability

  • Can I see why a component was flagged?
  • Can I trace the result back to the relevant product and evidence?
  • Can I retain screening history?

Ongoing monitoring

  • Can products be rescreened when the Candidate List changes?
  • Can the system identify potentially affected products?

The best tool is therefore not necessarily the one with the largest chemical database. It is the one that gives your compliance team reliable, traceable and repeatable screening results.

What Should You Do When an SVHC Is Identified?

A screening result is the start of the compliance assessment, not necessarily the end.

A practical process is:

Identify the substance → verify the match → determine where it occurs → obtain missing evidence → assess the applicable REACH obligation → document the decision → monitor for future changes.

The exact obligation depends on the substance, product, concentration, use, and applicable REACH requirements.

SVHC Screening Checklist

Before considering your screening process complete, confirm that you can:

  • ☐ Access current Candidate List information
  • ☐ Identify substances using reliable identifiers
  • ☐ Screen products and components
  • ☐ Detect missing substance information
  • ☐ Distinguish potential matches from confirmed matches
  • ☐ Trace results to products and evidence
  • ☐ Re-screen when regulatory information changes
  • ☐ Retain screening records for future reference

Need to manage SVHC screening across products and suppliers?

Regilient helps compliance teams centralise product and supplier information, screen materials against regulatory requirements, identify data gaps, and maintain traceable compliance records.

Request a Demo →

Topics

REACH

Speak to Our Compliance Experts

Questions about compliance, partnerships, or support? We're here to help.

Share

REACH SVHC Screening Tools: How to Streamline Substance Identification in Your Supply Chain

What are SVHC screening tools and what do they do for REACH compliance?
SVHC screening tools automate the identification of Substances of Very High Concern within a manufacturer's bill of materials. They work by mapping CAS numbers and material codes against the ECHA Candidate List in real time, detecting gaps in supplier data, and flagging components that contain SVHCs above the 0.1% w/w threshold that triggers REACH Article 33 communication and SCIP notification obligations. Without automation, screening thousands of parts across a global supply chain against a Candidate List that is updated every six months is not scalable.
When is SVHC disclosure mandatory under REACH?
REACH Article 33 requires any supplier of an article containing an SVHC above 0.1% w/w of the article to communicate this to the downstream user, providing the substance name and sufficient information for safe use. This obligation applies regardless of whether the article is assembled in the EU or imported into it. The 0.1% threshold is calculated at the article level, not the homogeneous material level. The obligation is triggered immediately when a new substance is added to the Candidate List if it is present above threshold in a product already on the market.
What is the REACH Candidate List and how often does it change?
The REACH Candidate List is the official ECHA list of Substances of Very High Concern identified for their serious effects on human health or the environment. It includes carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic (CMR) substances, persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) substances, very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances, and substances of equivalent concern such as endocrine disruptors. As of early 2026, the list stands at 253 entries. ECHA updates it approximately twice per year, meaning manufacturers must reassess their entire product portfolio after each addition.
What SCIP notification obligations apply to articles containing SVHCs?
Under the EU Waste Framework Directive, any producer, importer, or assembler placing an article on the EU market that contains an SVHC above 0.1% w/w must submit a SCIP notification to ECHA before the article is placed on the market. The SCIP obligation exists independently of Article 33 communication. Both are triggered by the same 0.1% w/w threshold, but they serve different purposes: Article 33 informs the downstream supply chain, while SCIP provides regulators and waste operators with substance data at end of life. SVHC screening tools that integrate SCIP dossier export remove the need to prepare this data separately.
What supplier data formats work best for SVHC screening?
Standardised declaration formats significantly improve the accuracy and automation rate of SVHC screening. IPC-1752A is the most widely used format in electronics and electrical manufacturing, covering full material disclosure and substance-level data by homogeneous material. IEC 62474 serves a similar function for electrotechnical products. Both formats provide the CAS number, substance name, concentration, and homogeneous material context that SVHC screening tools need to perform accurate threshold calculations. Suppliers submitting data in PDF certificates or unstructured spreadsheets require manual extraction, which introduces errors and delays.
How does Regilient's SVHC screening software help manufacturers manage REACH compliance?
Regilient's agentic sustainability platform automates SVHC screening across a manufacturer's full bill of materials by cross-referencing CAS numbers against the REACH Candidate List in real time, detecting supplier data gaps and triggering structured follow-up, and flagging components that breach the 0.1% w/w Article 33 threshold. It integrates SCIP dossier generation directly from screening outputs, supports IPC-1752A and IEC 62474 declaration formats, and automatically re-screens the product portfolio whenever ECHA publishes a Candidate List update. The result is a continuously audit-ready compliance position rather than a point-in-time snapshot.
What data format is best for SVHC declarations?
Use standardized formats like IPC-1752A or IEC 62474 for supplier declarations. These formats ensure easier parsing, automation, and compatibility with screening platforms and SCIP dossiers.
How can automation help with SVHC screening?
Automation reduces manual errors, ensures always-audit-ready documentation, and enables real-time visibility into high-risk substances, missing supplier data, and regulatory changes.
What is SVHC screening and why is it required?
SVHC screening is the process of checking whether your products contain any Substance of Very High Concern above the 0.1% w/w threshold set by the EU REACH Regulation. It is required because once a substance is placed on the REACH Candidate List, manufacturers, importers, and suppliers face immediate legal obligations: downstream communication (Article 33), ECHA notification (Article 7(2)), and SCIP database submission under the Waste Framework Directive.
How many substances are currently on the REACH Candidate List?
As of the most recent ECHA update in February 2026, the Candidate List contains 253 entries. This number increases with each update cycle, which typically occurs twice per year (January/February and June/July). The two substances added in February 2026 were n-hexane and bisphenol AF (BPAF) and its salts
What is the difference between the Candidate List and the Authorisation List?
The Candidate List (also known as the SVHC list) is the initial identification step: ECHA places substances here when they meet SVHC criteria. The Authorisation List (REACH Annex XIV) is the next escalation: substances moved to this list require explicit authorisation from the European Commission before they can be placed on the market or used after a specified sunset date. Not all Candidate List substances are moved to the Authorisation List, but all Authorisation List substances were on the Candidate List first.
Can I do SVHC screening manually without software?
Yes, and many smaller manufacturers do. Manual screening involves cross-referencing your product materials and CAS numbers against the Candidate List using spreadsheets and supplier declarations. It works for small portfolios with simple supply chains but becomes impractical and error-prone once you exceed roughly 100 products or 500 unique components.
What happens if I fail to screen for SVHCs and a listed substance is found in my product?
Consequences vary by EU Member State but can include financial penalties, product withdrawal or recall, loss of EU Ecolabel eligibility, customer contract termination, and reputational damage. Under the Waste Framework Directive, failure to submit SCIP notifications is separately enforceable
How often do I need to re-screen my products for SVHCs?
At minimum, you should re-screen after every ECHA Candidate List update (typically twice per year). Best practice is to also re-screen whenever you change a supplier, modify a product formulation, or receive updated supplier declarations. Software platforms automate this re-screening; in a manual process, it must be triggered and tracked by the compliance team.
What supplier data formats are used for SVHC declarations?
The most common standardised formats are IPC-1752A (widely used in electronics), IEC 62474 (material declarations for electrotechnical products), and free-form supplier declarations (PDFs, emails, or proprietary templates). The RMI's CMRT and EMRT templates also capture substance-level data for conflict minerals and extended minerals that may intersect with SVHC obligations. Standardising your supplier data intake is one of the highest-impact steps you can take to improve screening accuracy.
Can SVHC screening be automated?
Yes. Software can automate substance matching, BOM screening, data-gap identification, reporting, and rescreening. Human review may still be required for ambiguous matches or incomplete evidence.
How often should products be screened?
Products should be screened when relevant regulatory data changes and when significant product, material, component, or supplier information changes.
Is a supplier's “REACH compliant” statement enough?
Not necessarily. A general compliance statement may not provide sufficient substance-level information to establish SVHC status.
Can an SVHC screening tool determine complete REACH compliance?
No. Screening identifies potential SVHC presence. The company must then assess the applicable REACH obligations and maintain supporting evidence.
What is the biggest risk with automated SVHC screening?
Treating incomplete or inaccurate input data as a definitive compliance result. A good screening system should make data gaps visible rather than hide them.