SCIP Database: Reporting SVHC Substances and the Link to the DPP
What is the SCIP database? The ECHA notification duty for substances of very high concern (SVHC) in articles explained: the 0.1 percent threshold, who must report, what a notification contains, and how SCIP relates to the Digital Product Passport.
SCIP Database: Reporting SVHC Substances and the Link to the DPP
Key takeaways
SCIP stands for Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects (Products). The SCIP database is run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Any company that supplies an article on the EU market containing a substance of very high concern (SVHC) from the REACH Candidate List above 0.1 percent by weight has had to notify that article to SCIP since 5 January 2021. The aim is to keep information about hazardous substances available across the whole lifecycle of a product, right down to the waste and recycling stage.
SCIP is directly relevant to the Digital Product Passport because the presence of substances of concern is one of the product information elements the ESPR regulation expects a DPP to be able to carry. If you want to understand the fundamentals of the DPP first, start with the introductory article Digital Product Passport in 15 Minutes.
What is the SCIP database?
The SCIP database is a European registry for information on substances of very high concern present in articles. Its legal basis is the Waste Framework Directive (EU) 2018/851, which amended Directive 2008/98/EC. Article 9(1)(i) obliges suppliers of articles to submit to ECHA the same information they already have to pass down the supply chain under REACH.
The underlying logic differs from a purely chemical-law register: SCIP connects product policy with waste policy. When an article eventually becomes waste, waste operators and recyclers need to know which hazardous substances it contains and where. Only then can materials be sorted, treated and returned to the loop safely, without substances of concern spreading in an uncontrolled way.
ECHA publishes a large share of the notified data on a publicly accessible portal. Consumers, waste operators and authorities can look up which SVHCs are present in articles. SCIP is therefore not an internal administrative tool but a public transparency instrument.
Why the EU introduced SCIP
SCIP serves several goals that are closely tied to the circular economy:
- Lifecycle transparency: information about hazardous substances is no longer lost when a product is resold or discarded.
- Safe recycling: recyclers can see which streams contain SVHCs and separate them accordingly.
- An incentive to substitute: having to notify gives companies a reason to gradually replace substances of concern with safer alternatives.
- A data basis for enforcement: authorities gain an overview of which article groups certain substances are common in.
In this, SCIP pursues the same overarching goal as the ESPR regulation and the Digital Product Passport: reliable, machine-readable data at the product that supports sustainable and safe decisions.
Who must submit a SCIP notification?
The duty falls on suppliers of articles placed on the EU market. This includes manufacturers and assemblers within the EU, importers, distributors and other actors in the supply chain. Retailers that supply articles exclusively and directly to consumers are exempt.
The obligation applies when two conditions come together:
- The article contains a substance on the REACH Candidate List (an SVHC).
- That substance is present at a concentration above 0.1 percent by weight.
The reference point matters: the 0.1 percent threshold applies to the individual article, not to the whole finished product. A complex object is often assembled from many articles, and each one is assessed on its own. This reading follows the well-known Court of Justice ruling on the “once an article, always an article” principle.
What a SCIP notification contains
At its core, a SCIP notification consists of a few precise data points:
- Article identification: a name and a primary identifier such as an article number, an EAN or GTIN code, or a catalogue number.
- The SVHC: the name of the substance from the Candidate List and its concentration range.
- Location of the substance: which component or material of the article the substance is in.
- Safe use information: at minimum the name of the Candidate List substance, plus any further instructions where relevant.
For companies with many articles, ECHA offers simplified procedures. A notification can reference an existing notification made by a supplier (referencing by SCIP number), and submission can be automated through system-to-system interfaces. This is exactly where clean data management pays off: if you maintain substance and material data in a structured system, you can use it both for SCIP and for the Digital Product Passport. A platform such as myDPP helps you provide this kind of product data in a structured, machine-readable way.
SVHC and the REACH Candidate List
The starting point for any SCIP notification is the Candidate List of substances of very high concern. It rests on the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, in particular Articles 57 and 59. A substance is added when, for example, it is carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction, accumulates in the environment, or has similarly serious properties.
The list now holds more than 240 entries and is updated roughly twice a year, usually in January and June. For companies this means that whether an article is notifiable can change with every update. An article that contains no listed substance today may be caught after the next addition.
Alongside the SCIP notification, REACH Article 33 imposes a separate duty to inform recipients, and consumers on request within 45 days, whenever an article contains an SVHC above 0.1 percent. SCIP and Article 33 draw on the same data but take different routes: SCIP populates a central database, while Article 33 addresses the supply chain directly.
SCIP and the Digital Product Passport
SCIP and the DPP are sometimes confused, but they are distinct instruments with a shared data basis. The table below sets out the key points.
| Feature | SCIP | Digital Product Passport (DPP) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Waste Framework Directive (EU) 2018/851 | ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 |
| Operator | ECHA | delegated acts per product group |
| Focus | SVHCs in articles above 0.1 percent | a broad product profile across many parameters |
| Data covered | substance identity, concentration, location in the article | durability, reparability, recycled content, substances, carbon footprint and more |
| Access | public ECHA portal | data carrier at the product (QR / GS1 Digital Link) |
| Status | notification duty since 5 January 2021 | phased roll-out from 2027 |
The key link sits in the data field for “substances of concern”. The ESPR defines this term more broadly than SCIP, because it can cover, beyond SVHCs, other hazardous substances or substances that hamper recycling. The underlying information is the same, though: which substance is in which component, and at what concentration. A company that already captures this cleanly for SCIP holds an essential building block of the future DPP.
For clarity and honesty, one point matters: the DPP replaces neither the SCIP notification nor the REACH duties. It is a communication carrier. myDPP does not run chemical analysis, does not determine SVHC content and does not submit SCIP notifications. The platform stores, versions and communicates the verified substance data, such as substance identity, concentration range, location in the article and the SCIP number, and can make it accessible through a data carrier at the product. SCIP is also further proof that the EU already operates a working, public substance registry that the DPP will build on, much like the EPREL database does for energy labels.
What companies should do now
1. Check articles against the Candidate List
For each article, establish whether it contains a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1 percent. Base this on supplier declarations, safety data sheets and, where needed, your own analysis.
2. Structure substance and material data
Capture substance identities, concentration ranges and the location within the article in a structured, machine-readable form. The same data sources (ERP, PIM) later feed the Digital Product Passport too.
3. Automate the notification route
For large ranges, system-to-system submission to SCIP and referencing of existing notifications are worthwhile. Both require cleanly formatted data.
4. Monitor Candidate List updates
Set up a fixed process for the twice-yearly Candidate List updates, so that new SVHCs are recognised and notified in time.
5. Prepare for the DPP
Use your SCIP data as the starting point for the DPP substances data field. The DPP implementation checklist and the complete list of DPP data requirements help you proceed in a structured way. For electronic products, the DPP electronics requirements are also worth a look.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the SCIP database in simple terms?
SCIP is a database run by ECHA for substances of very high concern in articles. Companies that supply articles containing an SVHC above 0.1 percent on the EU market have had to notify them since 5 January 2021. A large share of the data is publicly viewable.
At what concentration must a substance be reported?
The duty applies when a substance on the REACH Candidate List is present above 0.1 percent by weight in the individual article.
Who is exempt from the SCIP notification duty?
Retailers that supply articles exclusively and directly to consumers do not have to notify. Manufacturers, importers and distributors higher up the supply chain do.
Does the Digital Product Passport replace the SCIP notification?
No. SCIP remains a standalone duty under the Waste Framework Directive. The DPP, however, draws on the same data and can communicate substance information at the product.
Read more
- Digital Product Passport in 15 Minutes: What DPP Is and Why the EU Introduces It
- ESPR Regulation: Ecodesign Requirements for Sustainable Products
- EPREL Database: The EU Energy Label Registry and Its Link to the DPP
- Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and the DPP
- How to Implement the DPP: The Checklist
- REACH Regulation and the Digital Product Passport: which substance data actually goes in