Highlights from the 6th ESA REACH Workshop on 17 June 2025
Last week, REACHLaw as a contractor to the European Space Agency (ESA) participated with our expert speakers Tim Becker (REACHLaw Finland), Oliver Reiff-Musgrove (REACHLaw UK) and moderator Dr. Agustin Coello-Vera (Toulouse) in the 6th edition of the ESA “Workshop on the EU REACH Regulation and its impact on the Space Sector” in the Netherlands.
In a nutshell
The hybrid full-day event attracted more than 130 registered participants from 24 countries across 4 continents. Invited contributors included representatives from the European Commission, ECHA, the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and companies, both large space integrators and SMEs. Participants from upstream industries and research institutes also attended.
Top 10 highlights
1. REACH revision: The European Commission remains committed to issue the proposal in Q4 2025, aiming to simplify rules for both authorities and industry. Key elements such as polymer registration and the Essential Use Concept are still under discussion.
2. ECHA update on authorisation and restriction: Simone Doyle, Head of Risk Management I Unit at ECHA, covered the latest news on authorisation, ECHA’s investigation report on aromatic brominated flame retardants, the ECHA Cr(VI) restriction proposal and ECHA’s tasks under the Batteries and PPPWR Regulations, including its work on “substances of concern”.
3. Cr(VI) restriction proposal: The impact needs to be studied as these substance are not fully replaced yet. A key open question is how the transition from authorisation will work in practice. More clarity on this is expected from the European Commission.
4. Defence-related issues: Fabien Michelin, the Project Officer REACH at the EDA highlighted a number of key aspects for enhancing the EU military step up in the context of REACH and defence, including the security of supply of chemicals as a newer topic.
5. Universal PFAS restriction proposal: While the sector-based evaluation by ECHA’s RAC and SEAC Committees is still on-going, the Commission reiterated that it supports a distinct approach to the restriction for consumer uses vs. industrial applications.
6. Japanese (JAXA) point of view: JAXA has launched various initiatives to assess and address impacts of PFAS restrictions on its project and supply chains. Continued coordination with ESA and the U.S. NASA to address PFAS issues is a key element.
7. PFAS vs. Space impact assessment: The ESA REACH Officer Premysl Janik introduced an interactive brainstorming session among workshop participants on how to collect meaningful information on PFAS across different uses in the space sector.
8. Other targeted substances: Hydrazine and other energetic materials, lead metal, cyclic siloxanes (D4/D5/D6) and Bisphenol A/bisphenols of similar concern are critical and monitored closely by the European Space Sector.
9. ESA REACH Tool: The tool is of growing importance to automatically track the increasing number of regulated substances in space materials, including now also “substances of concern” addressed in other EU laws.
10. Panel discussion: The panelists from the European space industry, ASD and ESA shared a common concern about the unpredictability with regard to future EU chemical legislation, which would complicate planning and investment decisions.
Further information
A comprehensive workshop summary report is currently prepared by REACHLaw, with the support of the speakers and panelists. This report and all presentations provided will be published at https://atpi.eventsair.com/6th-esa-reach-workshop soon.