The SCIP database is the European Chemicals Agency's public register of products that contain hazardous chemicals. If an article you supply contains a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) from the REACH Candidate List above 0.1% by weight, you have to notify it to ECHA, which then publishes the information.
SCIP stands for Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects (Products). It was set up under the Waste Framework Directive so that information on hazardous substances does not stop at the point of sale. Waste operators and recyclers can see which products may contain harmful substances, consumers can make informed choices, and companies have a reason to substitute safer alternatives.
Who must notify and when
The duty has applied since 5 January 2021. It covers every supplier of an article placed on the EU market that contains a Candidate List substance above 0.1% weight by weight:
- EU producers and assemblers of articles.
- EU importers of articles or complex products.
- Distributors and other actors in the supply chain that place articles on the market.
Retailers and other actors that supply articles only and directly to consumers are not required to notify. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway joined the obligation in November 2022 under the EEA Agreement.
The threshold applies to each article inside a product. A cable, a seal or a coating inside a larger appliance can trigger a notification on its own, even if the SVHC is far below 0.1% of the whole appliance.
What goes into a SCIP notification
Each notification must include:
- Identification of the article, such as its name, category and identifiers.
- The Candidate List substance, by name.
- Its concentration range in the article.
- Its location in the article or complex product.
- Safe use information, such as instructions for handling or disassembly, where needed.
Complex products are notified as a hierarchy, for example appliance, sub-assembly, component. Companies submit through ECHA's tools, by system-to-system integration, or by referencing a notification already made by an upstream supplier, using its SCIP number. By January 2026 the database held more than 16 million article records.
Proposed changes to SCIP
In December 2025, the Commission's environmental omnibus proposal, COM(2025) 986, proposed to end the obligation to submit new SCIP notifications. ECHA would keep the data already collected. The Commission's reasoning was that the database was costly for companies and little used by waste operators, and that EU chemicals legislation and the Digital Product Passport would progressively take over its role.
The proposal is still going through the European Parliament and Council. Until it is adopted and in force, the SCIP duty continues to apply, and Member State authorities can still enforce it.
What it means for your products
- The underlying data stays necessary. Even if new SCIP notifications end, REACH Article 33 still requires SVHC information to go to customers and to consumers on request.
- Passports will carry substance data. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), delegated acts can require passports to show substances of concern, their location and concentration.
- Good supplier data serves every obligation. The same component-level declarations support SCIP, REACH, RoHS and future passports.
How to prepare
- Screen every article in your products, down to component level, against the current Candidate List.
- Collect SVHC declarations from suppliers and repeat after each Candidate List update.
- Notify or reference for each affected article you place on the market, and keep your SCIP numbers on file.
- Store the data in one place so it can also feed customer answers and Digital Product Passports.
- Follow the omnibus negotiations for the date any change to SCIP takes effect.
How Veribl helps
Veribl's supplier portal lets brands request substance and material declarations from every supplier and keeps each signed answer exactly as sent. Products are checked against REACH and RoHS substance rules, so SVHC data is ready for SCIP notifications, customer requests and future passport fields.
See the Veribl supplier portalOfficial sources
Frequently asked questions
Who has to submit a SCIP notification?
Any supplier of an article that contains a Candidate List substance above 0.1% weight by weight and places it on the EU market: EU producers and assemblers, importers, distributors and other actors in the supply chain. Retailers and other actors that supply articles only and directly to consumers are not required to notify.
What information goes into a SCIP notification?
Information that identifies the article, the name, concentration range and location of the Candidate List substance in it, and any other information needed for its safe use, such as disassembly instructions. Complex products are notified as a hierarchy, for example appliance, sub-assembly, component.
Is the SCIP database being abolished?
In December 2025 the European Commission proposed, in its environmental omnibus (COM(2025) 986), to end the obligation to submit new SCIP notifications while ECHA keeps the existing data. The proposal is going through the European Parliament and Council. Until it is adopted and in force, the SCIP notification duty still applies.
What is the difference between SCIP and REACH Article 33?
REACH Article 33 requires suppliers to pass SVHC information to their customers and to consumers who ask. SCIP requires the same kind of information to be sent to ECHA, which publishes it so waste operators and consumers can see it too.
Will the Digital Product Passport replace SCIP?
The Commission has said that EU chemicals legislation and the Digital Product Passport will progressively fulfil the role of the SCIP database, and that it will include data on substances of very high concern when designing passports. This happens product group by product group, through ESPR delegated acts.
Last reviewed