What Does the REACH Restriction Proposal on Chromates Mean for Finnish Downstream Users?
This webinar will be held in Finnish language!
13th of May 2025
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In the Spotlight: EU Tightening Use of Hexavalent Chromium Compounds – REACH Restriction Moving Forward
Background: How Did We Get Here?
Hexavalent chromium compounds have been under increasingly strict regulation over the past decade. This shift is part of a broader EU-level goal to reduce the use of hazardous substances and promote safer alternatives. Several chromates were added to the REACH Authorisation List (Annex XIV) in 2015, 2017, and 2019. However, the number of authorisation applications exceeded expectations, surpassing the processing capacity of ECHA and the European Commission.
As a result, the Commission requested ECHA to prepare a REACH Restriction Proposal (Annex XV) initially targeting chromic acid and chromium trioxide. The mandate was later expanded to include all eleven chromium compounds currently on the Authorisation List, as well as oligomers of chromic and dichromic acid and barium chromates, which are not currently listed. If implemented, this would mark the first time substances are moved from the Authorisation List to the Restriction List. Notably, lead chromates—commonly used as pigments in paints—are not currently included in the scope.
What Does This Mean for Industry?
The restriction proposal introduces uncertainty, and industrial stakeholders are encouraged to prepare for upcoming changes.
The restriction proposal, to be published at the end of April, will affect a wide range of Finnish downstream users across several industries where chromium-plated products are critical in either production processes or as intermediates:
- Food and process industry
- Construction and concrete industry
- Pulp, paper, and chemical industry
- Plastics, machinery, steel and metal industry
- Energy and defense sectors
- Pump and value manufacturing
- Lifting equipment and hydraulic cylinders
- Faucets and other sanitary products
Companies that use chromium compounds, utilize chromium-plated products, or have chromium compounds used in their supply chains will benefit from closely monitoring the development of the proposal, participating in the public consultation, assessing possible alternatives, and defining their business strategy regarding hexavalent chromium compounds.
Your Only Chance to Make an Impact: Public Consultation
The public consultation period for the proposal is scheduled for mid-June to mid-December 2025 – this is the only opportunity for industry and other stakeholders to influence the final restriction proposal.
Join the Webinar!
The restriction proposal will affect many critical supply chains and technical applications. Now is the right time to prepare and understand what this means for your organization.
Join us for an up-to-date briefing on the REACH restriction proposal for chromates and its implications for Finnish industry. The webinar will cover the regulatory background, the main content of the proposal, and its impacts on industry—especially in terms of the availability of chromium-plated intermediates—and how affected companies can still influence the final outcome.
The webinar will be held in Finnish.
Speaker: Tero Koski, Head of Impact Assessments, REACHLaw Oy
This webinar is not intended for REACH service providers/consulting companies.