Countdown to the first annual microplastics report in the EU

The microplastics restriction included in Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation establishes the obligation to annually report estimated releases to the environment. The next reporting deadline is 31 May 2026 and covers data corresponding to year 2025.

The microplastics restriction introduced under the REACH Regulation imposes information obligations for certain uses of synthetic polymer microparticles that are subject to derogations from the ban on placing on the market.

In accordance with this regulatory framework, reports on estimated microplastics emissions must be submitted on an annual basis, prepared in IUCLID and submitted through the REACH IT platform.

The information obligations apply progressively, depending on the type of entity and the use of microplastics. In particular, the following key dates should be taken into account:

31 May 2026

• Manufacturers of microplastics and industrial downstream users using microplastics in the form of pellets, flakes or powders as feedstock in plastic manufacturing at industrial sites. The report must cover emissions arising from their own manufacturing or use processes corresponding to year 2025.

31 May 2027

• Other manufacturers and industrial downstream users of microplastics at industrial sites. The report must cover emissions arising from their own manufacturing or use processes.
• Suppliers of products containing microplastics that place them on the market for the first time for professional or general public uses, provided that these uses are subject to a derogation. The report must include downstream emissions, from placing on the market until the end of the product’s service life, as well as own emissions, where applicable.

Reports must be submitted by 31 May each year and include emissions corresponding to the previous calendar year. No minimum thresholds are established, meaning that the reporting obligation applies even when estimated emissions are very low.

In relation to this process, the information requirements guidelines and the manual for preparing the microplastics report have been updated, aligned with the functionalities available in the latest version of IUCLID. Updates include changes in the emissions reporting format and the possibility to update dossiers, facilitating information management in annual reporting cycles.

At Siam we remain available to companies for any questions that may arise in relation to this regulatory obligation on microplastics.

More information is available on the official ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) website.