At present, polymers do not have to be registered under Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Nevertheless, a possible change in the treatment of polymers is envisioned in Article 138(2) of REACH, which may result in polymers being included in the registration requirements.
In addition to the registration of polymers, another important issue that of their notification. The European Commission may ask industry to give notification regarding information concerning certain polymers. Should this happen, notification would apply not just to polymers that need to be registered but also, quite likely, to all polymers in the marketplace. Currently, REACH requires information only for substances that are registered. A system for the notification of polymers should therefore be defined.