On February 11, 2026, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) released an article titled “REACHING out” that analyzed lobbying efforts by the chemical industry in 2025 to delay, dilute, and influence the reform of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.
First introduced in 2006, REACH is the European Union’s flagship chemicals policy, aiming to identify harmful chemicals better and earlier, eventually phasing out or restricting them, to protect human and environmental health. The European Commission committed to revising REACH as part of its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability towards a toxic-free environment, published in October 2020 as part of the European Green Deal (FPF reported).
Five years later, a REACH revision has not materialized. In its article, CEO theorizes that industry does not want to shift the regulation because they have learned how to exploit its loopholes. “Twenty years on from the introduction of REACH, the chemicals industry has learned how to accommodate its requirements – and to exploit its weaknesses.”
By reviewing publicly available lobby meeting minutes from 2025, CEO discovered that relevant European Commission members, including the President, Vice-President, Environment Commissioner, and Deregulation Commissioner, met with non-governmental organizations 19 times. They met with industry, including trade associations, chemical companies, and cosmetics companies 93 times. Of these industry meetings, five appeared to support a more progressive REACH revision.
From the meeting minutes, CEO surmised “five of the most hotly contested REACH revision issues” for industry. Of these topics, industry opposes four, including:
- Registration of safety data on polymers so they can be identified and regulated
- Introduction of a Mixture Allocation Factor to assess the safety of combinations of chemical substances (FPF reported and here)
- Extension of Generic Approach to Risk Management, which would provide a fast-track to remove harmful chemicals from consumer products
- Implementation of Essential Use Concept, which would only allow harmful chemicals if they were necessary and there is no acceptable alternative (FPF reported)
The fifth topic is related to Regulatory Management Options Analysis, which industry is advocating for. This mechanism would create an upfront analysis of regulatory options to address any identified concerns regarding a substance, potentially slowing down the regulatory process.
The article concludes that “there has been intense industry lobbying, including during 2025, using the old lobby classics of spin – eye-catchingly high industry costings, ignoring health and environmental benefits, undermining science, and misleading claims about how progressive proposals would work – to make the REACH reform as industry-friendly as possible.”
Currently, a comprehensive REACH revision is expected in the second half of 2026.
Reference
Corporate Europe Observatory (February 11, 2026). “REACHing out: Industry’s 2025 lobby blitz to undermine chemicals policy reform.”
