On March 30, 2026, the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) published the government response to the consultation on the UK REACH Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm), announcing the cancellation of the originally planned requirement for companies to submit additional use and exposure information.
On March 11, 2026, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched its first public consultation on adding Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) to the UK REACH Candidate List since Brexit. The consultation includes 15 proposed SVHCs, and companies have until April 20, 2026, to submit comments or supporting information. For companies placing chemicals on the market in Great Britain, this is a meaningful signal of how UK REACH is evolving.
On March 11, 2026, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced the launch of its first public consultation for the inclusion of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) into the candidate list.
On February 3, 2026, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the PFAS Plan: Building a Safer Future Together. This plan outlines a three-pillar strategy aimed at balancing the societal benefits of these essential industrial chemicals with their potential risks to the environment and public health.
On December 22, 2025, UK released a summary report on the proposal to extend the UK REACH transitional registration deadlines, announcing a comprehensive three-year postponement.
On December 1, 2025, the UK government officially released the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). Under "Goal 4: Chemicals and Pesticides," the plan explicitly states that measures will be taken to minimize the potential risks of chemicals and pesticides to the environment and public health. These measures include reforming the UK's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH) regulations and strengthening the regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
On November 4, 2025, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) proposed adding three reproductive toxic substances to the Authorization List (Annex 14) of the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH) regulation and initiated a public consultation. This marks the first time the UK has proposed adding substances to the authorization list since its departure from the EU ("Brexit").
On 14 July 2025, the UK Defra has launched a public consultation on extending the transitional registration deadlines under the UK REACH regime.
The UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced changes to several administrative fees under UK REACH, which will take effect on April 1, 2025. The UK authorities have explained that this fee adjustment is based on changes in relevant price indices and the costs incurred by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in managing UK REACH. The new standards were published on March 10, 2025, as The REACH Fees and Charges (Amendment of Commission Regulation (EC) No 340/2008) Regulations 2025.
On May 16, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a public consultation on UK REACH, which remained open until July 25. The Alternative Transitional Registration model (ATRm) for UK REACH has been devised in response to the UK government’s impact assessment, which was published in 2023 and estimated that registering substances under UK REACH would cost industry £2 billion by 2030. The consultation sets out proposals to reduce costs for businesses moving from EU to UK REACH with reductions to duplication of data. It also contains proposals to introduce further protections against unnecessary animal testing. The ATRm specifically focuses on the submission of data for transitional substances – this covers substances that were “grandfathered”, New Registration for Existing Substances (NRES), or included in a downstream user import notification (DUIN).
