REACH requires all companies manufacturing or placing a substance on the EU market in quantities of one tonne or greater per year to register that substance with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). For legal reasons, only companies with a legal entity in Europe are allowed to submit a registration; however, non-EU companies may opt for an Only Representative to register on their behalf. REACH registration requires the submission of comprehensive documentation outlining the intrinsic properties of the substance, its hazards, uses, and proposed risk reduction measures. Due to the workload involved REACH provides for a phased period of substance registrations through extended registration deadlines.

RoHS stands for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances. Previously the 2002/95/EC Directive on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment was the directive which governed RoHS. The aim of this directive is to restrict the use of hazardous substances in electronic and electrical equipment in order to reduce the risk to human health and the environment.