Understanding EU REACH Standards for RO System Materials

TL;DR

• REACH is the European Union’s main chemicals law, and it absolutely applies to the plastics, metals, coatings, and sealants inside your RO drinking water system.
• It doesn’t “certify” products; instead it controls which chemicals can be used, how risky ones are reported, and when they must be phased out.
• For RO owners, REACH matters because low‑mineral RO water aggressively leaches chemicals from unsafe materials. REACH compliance helps reduce that risk.
• The safest bet is RO equipment whose wetted parts are both REACH‑aligned and certified for drinking water contact (for example, to NSF/ANSI standards).
• When choosing an RO system, ask for REACH declarations, understand common high‑risk substances, and pay attention to replacement filters and cleaning chemicals too.

Why REACH Matters for Your RO Drinking Water

Reverse osmosis is excellent at stripping out dissolved contaminants, but that “hungry” low‑mineral water is also more likely to dissolve metals and additives from the materials it touches. That includes membranes, tanks, housings, tubing, and fittings in your under‑sink or whole‑home system.

The EU’s REACH regulation was created to reduce chemical risks for both people and the environment. It forces industry to understand the hazards of the substances they use and either control or replace the most concerning ones. For RO users, that means the materials in contact with your drinking water should contain fewer high‑risk chemicals and be more transparent from a safety standpoint.

In practice, REACH is one of the reasons you now see fewer lead‑containing alloys, fewer high‑risk phthalates, and more carefully selected plastics in modern filtration systems.

It’s not the whole story on safety, but it’s a big foundation stone.

REACH in Plain Language: The Essentials

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It has been in force across the EU since June 2007 and, as sources such as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission explain, it works on a few key principles:

• Broad scope. REACH applies to almost all chemical substances made or imported into the EU at one metric ton or more per year per company. That includes chemicals in mixtures and, in many cases, chemicals inside finished products.
• Burden on industry. Companies (manufacturers, importers, and many “downstream users”) must prove that their chemicals can be used safely. Authorities can then limit or ban uses where risks are not well controlled.
• Articles and components. RO systems are considered “articles” under REACH. If an article contains a listed “Substance of Very High Concern” (SVHC) above 0.1% by weight, the supplier must at least inform its customers and, in many cases, notify ECHA.
• Dynamic lists. There is a Candidate List of SVHCs that keeps growing, plus lists for substances requiring authorisation and for those restricted outright. Phthalates used as plasticizers, some flame retardants, and several heavy‑metal compounds are already on these lists.

For you as a buyer, this doesn’t mean memorizing Annex numbers. It means favoring suppliers who can clearly explain how their systems align with these REACH duties.

How REACH Applies to RO System Materials

An RO system is a bundle of “articles” made from polymers, elastomers, metals, adhesives, and coatings, plus the cleaning and antiscalant chemicals used to maintain it. Under REACH, there are two main angles:

1. Substances in the materials themselves. The plastics, rubbers, and metals in housings, tanks, fittings, and tubing can contain stabilizers, plasticizers, pigments, and other additives. If any of these are SVHCs above the 0.1% threshold, the supplier must disclose this down the supply chain and, in the EU, submit data to the public SCIP database. For substances that are fully restricted, they must not be used above set limits at all.
2. Substances used to operate the system. Antiscalants, membrane cleaners, and biocides are all chemical products. If they are manufactured or imported in qualifying volumes, their ingredients must be registered and may be subject to authorisation or restriction. You’ll also see overlap with the Biocidal Products Regulation for disinfectants.

Because RO and especially RO/DI water are aggressive, material choice becomes more than a durability issue; it is a health issue. Research on RO system materials highlights that low‑mineral water can leach metals from copper and brass, and plasticizers from certain PVC formulations, much faster than ordinary tap water.

The practical implication: a REACH‑aligned design tends to favor safer “recipes” for plastics and metals, and to avoid additives that are on, or at risk of landing on, the SVHC or restriction lists.

RO Materials Through a REACH Lens

Here’s a simple view of common RO materials and the REACH‑related questions they raise:

REACH does not guarantee that “nothing ever leaches,” but it pushes manufacturers away from the worst actors—such as certain phthalates and high‑lead alloys—and toward safer formulations.

For high‑purity applications, materials like polypropylene, cross‑linked polyethylene (PEX), and high‑grade stainless steel are widely used because they resist both corrosion and chemical migration when correctly specified.

Choosing a REACH‑Aligned RO System: What to Ask

For most homeowners or building managers, you won’t read registration dossiers or EU annexes. Instead, use REACH as a lens for smarter purchasing and maintenance decisions:

1. Ask for a REACH declaration for major components. Reputable suppliers can provide a statement indicating whether their RO system and key wetted parts contain any SVHCs above the 0.1% threshold. If they can’t answer, that’s a signal about their compliance culture.
2. Pair REACH with drinking‑water certifications. REACH manages chemicals in commerce; standards like NSF/ANSI 58 (RO performance) and NSF/ANSI 61 (health effects of materials in contact with drinking water) focus directly on what can leach into your glass. Together, they give a much more complete safety picture.

1. Look closely at materials in the water path.

• Favor stainless steel or certified composite tanks over anonymous painted steel.
• Prefer PEX or polypropylene tubing instead of generic PVC where water is very low in minerals.
• Ask whether seals and adhesives in contact with water are food‑grade or drinking‑water‑approved.

1. Don’t forget replacement filters and chemicals. Every new membrane, carbon cartridge, antiscalant, or biocide dose re‑introduces chemicals into your system. Check that these consumables come from suppliers who reference REACH and, where applicable, EU biocides rules and drinking‑water standards.
2. If you export or operate in the EU, get expert help. For businesses selling RO units into the EU, REACH and the related SCIP reporting can quickly become complex. Compliance service providers and tools (like those discussed by Assent or Accuris) are often worth the investment to avoid recalls or market blocks.

What Most Guides Miss

Two nuances are often overlooked in RO buying guides:

• REACH obligations apply to every article in the chain, including small fittings, gaskets, and housings—not just the headline “filter.” A system can be mostly compliant and still have a single non‑compliant component that creates risk.
• Even if a material is marketed as “lead‑free” or “BPA‑free,” that doesn’t automatically mean it is free of SVHCs or other restricted chemicals under REACH. You still need explicit supplier disclosures.

Keeping these in mind helps you cut through marketing language and focus on real chemical stewardship.

Bringing It All Together for Healthier Hydration

REACH is not a consumer label you’ll see printed on your faucet, but it quietly shapes which substances are allowed in the materials that touch your water. For reverse osmosis systems—where water is especially aggressive and the goal is long‑term daily hydration—that matters.

When you combine REACH‑aligned materials, independent drinking‑water certifications, and a thoughtful choice of piping, tanks, and consumables, you significantly reduce the chance that your RO system becomes a source of chemical exposure instead of protection. That’s the sweet spot: a system that not only polishes the taste of your water, but also supports your health and the planet with a smarter chemistry footprint.

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/drinking-water/prevention/about-choosing-home-water-filters.html
2. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-11/ws-products-home-water-treatment-guide_508.pdf
3. https://blog.ansi.org/ansi/nsf-ansi-drinking-water-treatment-standards/
4. https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/articles/standards-water-treatment-systems
5. https://www.decachem.com/reach-compliance-what-it-means-for-customers
6. https://blog.matric.com/reach-vs.-rohs-compliance-for-electronics-manufacturing
7. https://blog.sourceintelligence.com/comparing-reach-and-rohs-compliance
8. https://accuristech.com/material-compliance-requirements-reach-rohs-scip/
9. https://carbonblocktech.com/why-nsf-standards-matter/
10. https://complete-water.com/resources/how-to-maintain-industrial-reverse-osmosis-systems

About the author

Dr. Elena Brooks

Certified Water Quality SpecialistEnvironmental ScientistSmart Home Wellness Advocate

Environmental scientist turned smart home expert. Elena decodes the science of hydration to help modern families choose technology that supports long-term health.