Factories targeting the French market, pay attention. Have you been frequently asked by customers or French customs recently to provide a REACH SVHC screening report? To put it plainly, this thing is about checking whether your product contains "substances of very high concern." The EU REACH regulation has an SVHC list, which now contains over two hundred substances, such as certain plasticizers, flame retardants, and dye intermediates. France scrutinizes this area particularly closely, and you can't get by with just any report.
Which products need this? Simply put, as long as your products are exported to France—whether electronics, toys, textiles, plastic parts, coatings, or even packaging materials—customers may ask for this screening. Especially for consumer goods and children's products, French customs and market regulators check SVHC screening reports directly during spot inspections. Don't think only chemical products are regulated. If you use recycled material in a plastic housing, or the dyes in textiles contain banned amines, that counts as a pitfall.
There are three most common pitfalls. First, submitting a "REACH compliance" self-declaration to get by—French customers want a screening report against the SVHC list, not a statement saying "I comply." Second, the report only tests a dozen or so common substances, but the list is dynamically updated. If the version you tested is too old, the customer will reject it as soon as they see the date. Third, supply chain information isn't passed down. You ask your supplier for a declaration, the supplier casually writes "not contained," but your finished product tests positive—the responsibility is still yours. Remember, SVHC screening is a combination of "supply chain information transmission + testing." A single piece of paper won't do.
Regarding timelines, from organizing your BOM list and supplier material declarations to the lab issuing a screening report, it generally takes two to three weeks. If complex materials are involved or split testing is required, it could drag on for a month. Don't wait until the customer chases you to get started. The French side wants to see the report before placing an order, and scrambling at the last minute can easily cost you the deal. It's recommended that you check against the latest version of the SVHC list in advance, have suppliers issue declarations by material, and then find a lab for targeted screening—that's the most reliable approach.