SCIP Database (WFD) Compliance: Submission & Updates

♻️ SCIP Database (WFD) Compliance Service

SCIP is the EU database for Substances of Concern In articles (as such or in complex objects/products). It ensures that information about Candidate List SVHCs in articles flows through the supply chain and reaches waste operators and consumers, supporting safer recycling and circular economy goals.

 

📌 What the law requires (WFD + REACH Article 33)

The legal basis is the revised EU Waste Framework Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/851 amending Directive 2008/98/EC). It requires Member States to ensure that any supplier of an article provides to ECHA the information pursuant to REACH Article 33(1) as from 5 January 2021.

In practice, SCIP makes REACH Article 33(1) information submit-to-ECHA, not only “provide-to-recipient on request.”

 

Who must submit a SCIP notification

You are typically in scope if you place articles on the EU market as an EU-based:

  • 🏭 Producer (article producer) or 🚢 Importer
  • 🧩 Assembler placing complex objects on the market
  • 📦 Distributor or other supply-chain actor placing articles on the market

A common exclusion referenced in practice: retailers/actors supplying directly and exclusively to consumers (where they are not also producers/importers).

 

🔍 When SCIP reporting is triggered

A SCIP notification is required when an article (as such or within a complex object) contains a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1% weight by weight (w/w).

Key operational point: reporting is triggered for each component article exceeding the 0.1% threshold (“once an article, always an article”).

 

🧾 What you must submit (SCIP information requirements)

At a minimum, duty holders must submit:

  • 🏷️ Identification of the article
  • 🧪 Name of the Candidate List substance, plus concentration range and location in the article/complex object
  • 🛡️ Safe use / waste-management information, notably what supports proper handling once the article becomes waste

 

🧩 Data you need to have “SCIP-ready” (practical field checklist)

 

1) Article identification (make items uniquely matchable)

  • Article name (clear, consistent naming)
  • Primary article identifier (e.g., EAN/GTIN, catalogue/part number)
  • Optional additional identifiers (brand, model, internal code)

 

2) Article category (classification)

  • CN/TARIC code used as the article category for SCIP classification

 

3) SVHC (concern element) details

  • Candidate List substance identity (e.g., CAS/EC identifiers)
  • Concentration range selection (range-based, not necessarily exact %)
  • Material category (and optional extra material characteristics)

 

4) Complex object structure (location matters)

  • A component hierarchy that shows where the SVHC-containing article sits inside the supplied product (and how many units, when relevant).

 

5) Safe use & disassembly/waste instructions (when needed)

  • Short, product-appropriate guidance for normal use and end-of-life handling (and disassembly steps where relevant).

 

🛠️ How to submit (tools + channel)

You prepare SCIP notifications in the harmonised IUCLID format, then submit through the ECHA Submission Portal.

Preparation options used by companies include:

  • ☁️ IUCLID Cloud (online)
  • 💻 IUCLID 6 Desktop/Server (offline)
  • 🔄 System-to-system submission (API-based interfaces from your IT systems to the portal)

 

🔁 How to reduce workload (SSN + Referencing)

ECHA’s simplification mechanisms (voluntary) are designed to prevent duplicate reporting:

  • Simplified SCIP Notification (SSN): if the article is not changed, you can refer to a supplier’s successfully submitted data without preparing a full dossier (useful for distributors and group structures).
  • Referencing: if a notified article is incorporated into a complex object, you can reference the existing component notification instead of re-entering the same dataset.

 

🔔 Ongoing compliance (updates and change control)

SCIP is not “submit once and forget.” You need a process to detect and act on changes such as:

  • New SVHC additions to the Candidate List (commonly updated twice per year)
  • BOM/component changes that affect SVHC presence, concentration range, material category, or location mapping
  • Identifier or classification changes (part numbers, CN/TARIC) that impact traceability

 

🧠 What your company should do to comply

 

1) Scope your portfolio

  • List all EU-placed articles and complex objects (including spares) by part number/SKU.
  • Identify which items can reuse supplier data (SSN/Referencing candidates).

 

2) Build the data backbone

  • Create a consistent article → component → material/mixture → SVHC structure.
  • Standardise naming rules and primary identifiers to avoid duplicates.

 

3) Collect supplier declarations at the right level

  • Require SVHC disclosures per component article (not generic “REACH compliant” statements).
  • Capture: SVHC identity, concentration range inputs, material category, and location in the product.

 

4) Prepare dossiers and validate

  • Populate mandatory fields, check CN/TARIC coding, ensure SVHC location is unambiguous, and add safe use/waste instructions where needed.

 

5) Submit and retain evidence

  • Keep submission receipts, dataset versions, supplier evidence, and internal approvals in a controlled record.

 

6) Run updates as a standard process

  • Link Candidate List updates + engineering change orders to automatic “SCIP impact” review and resubmission decisions.

 

⚠️ Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Treating 0.1% as a “whole product average” instead of a component article threshold.
  • Missing SVHC location inside complex objects (no usable hierarchy).
  • Inconsistent part identifiers (duplicate submissions, broken traceability).
  • No update triggers tied to BOM and supplier changes.

 

Why ComplyMarket is the best solution for SCIP Database (WFD) compliance

ComplyMarket turns SCIP into a controlled, scalable process by combining material compliance management, product structure governance, and submission-ready reporting in one platform.

With ComplyMarket, companies can:

  • 🧩 Maintain complex object hierarchies that reliably capture SVHC location for SCIP.
  • 🧪 Centralise Candidate List intelligence and link it directly to parts, materials, and suppliers.
  • 🧾 Generate IUCLID-ready SCIP datasets with consistent identifiers, CN/TARIC logic, concern elements (concentration ranges + material categories), and safe-use/disassembly statements.
  • 🔁 Support workload reduction with workflows aligned to SSN/Referencing operating models.
  • 📌 Keep strong traceability: what changed, who changed it, which products are impacted, and what was submitted—so SCIP stays compliant as products and regulations evolve.

 

Need help with material, product, or ESG compliance?

Talk to our expert and get personalized guidance on managing regulations, documentation, supplier compliance, and Digital Product Passport
requirements — all within the ComplyMarket portal.