Public opinion of chemicals – valuable allies for research

Published on 17/07/2018

As part of the 5-year European AskREACH project launched a little less than a year ago, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) – one of twenty partners based in 13 European Union countries – is launching a consumer survey. The aim of this project is to help consumers and businesses apply the "right to know" in respect of Substances of Very High Concern – (SVHC) found in consumer products such as furniture, clothing and toys. To achieve their aims, the project partners are working closely with companies to help them improve the information consumers are given about the presence of problematic chemicals in various items. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide suppliers of items with a database, and to provide consumers with a linked mobile application.

A quick questionnaire to gather crucial information

To carry out this project, LIST and its partners firstly want to collate consumers' opinions of chemical substances present in the various types of item.
The questionnaire, which takes no more than 5 minutes to complete, is available in 3 languages. The data collected will be used anonymously and exclusively for the purposes of the project. It will help the people involved in the project to conduct their research.

The survey of residents of the project's partner countries ends on 31 July 2018 and everyone's opinion is valuable!

Duty to inform consumers

Under Article 33 of the EU REACH Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, companies have an obligation to provide consumers with information on the presence of SVHC in their items.

At a consumer's request, any supplier of items must provide, free of charge, the names of all SVHCs present in their item (if the concentration exceeds 0.1% of the total item weight) as well as providing information on safe use.

LIST, a partner of choice

AskREACH, a project funded by the European Union's Life+ programme is led by LIST in Luxembourg as part of its policy support activities. For many years, LIST has worked hand in hand with national governments, mainly in respect of environmental policies.

LIST's responsibilities include managing the REACH&CLP Helpdesk Luxembourg, a national technical support service advising companies on their obligations regarding the implementation of REACH regulations and of regulations relating to the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) of substances and mixtures.