AskREACH is closing: how should pet brands handle SVHC enquiries?

1. Separate the announced cutoff from the legal duty

LIFE AskREACH announced on 26 August 2026 that its app, web app, database and supplier interface would stop operating at the end of 2026. It set 1 November as the last date for consumer enquiries through the apps. Germany’s environment agency also states that the smartphone app is removed from app stores on that date. These are service milestones, not a repeal of REACH. This guide uses those published notices; it does not claim that every device or national app has been technically checked after the cutoff. For a brand, the action is to replace reliance on that channel while retaining unfinished cases.

LIFE AskREACH · service closure announcement · 26 August 2026

2. Preserve open cases before access ends

Create a case register outside the retiring tool. For each pending request retain the original receipt date, barcode or product reference, market, requested information, responsible contact, evidence received and reply status. Where an export is available, verify that it opens and includes attachments; otherwise preserve the records you are authorised to retain through available means. This is a proposed handover record, not an assertion that AskREACH offers a particular export function. Keep personal information within the business’s established access and retention rules. A new mailbox must not reset the original receipt date.

3. Make the replacement contact easy to find

Check the brand website, retailer support instructions and any existing product information route for obsolete app-only directions. Provide a working contact method and tell support staff where SVHC requests go. A barcode helps identify the item but does not prove its chemistry. Keep an ordinary email route available so that a buyer or consumer does not need a discontinued service to ask a question. Test routing internally without submitting a fabricated consumer enquiry. Give the retailer the same contact details that your own support page publishes; inconsistent handover instructions create a case that nobody owns.

4. Match the request to the supplied construction

Use the item and order reference to identify the actual version, then gather its existing component evidence. Our approved harness reference distinguishes nylon or polyester webbing from spacer-mesh or neoprene-composite lining. Our washable-bed reference distinguishes outer fabric from virgin or recycled fiber filling. Our raincoat reference distinguishes the coated polyester shell from mesh or taffeta lining. These are material descriptions reviewed on 10 October 2026, not chemical clearance. They show why one fabric letter cannot answer for every part of a finished accessory. Resolve which version was supplied before relying on a current catalog description.

5. Keep the response clock and scope explicit

The European Commission explains the consumer right to know and the 45-day response period under Article 33. Germany’s environment agency describes the information duty for Candidate List substances above 0.1% by weight and distinguishes supply-chain information from consumer requests. Ask the importer or compliance adviser to confirm how the rule applies to the actual article or constituent articles. Set an internal evidence deadline early enough for review and reply; this guide does not invent a shorter legal deadline. An acknowledgement saying the request was received is not the substance information itself. Do not wait for a fresh app message before acting on an already received request.

European Commission · REACH and the consumer right to know · checked 2 November 2026

6. Close the case with a retrievable reply

Before sending, check that the reply names the product version, addresses the question and is supported by the evidence used. Retain the reply date, destination, evidence version and any follow-up action in the same register. If evidence is missing, escalate it to the responsible business rather than replacing the gap with a broad REACH-compliant statement. The shutdown notice is not evidence that SCIP or any other separate legal obligation has ended. This workflow covers continuity of enquiries; it does not replace chemical classification, laboratory planning or market-specific legal advice.

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