On November 5, 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) added decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) to the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in its latest announcement. As of now, the SVHC list contains 251 substances.

SVHC, or substances of very high concern, are chemical substances under the EU REACH regulation that pose serious risks to human health or the environment. These substances may be carcinogenic, mutagenic, or have reproductive toxicity, or possess characteristics such as persistence, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity. 
For enterprises, 
According to the REACH regulation, when a substance - whether it exists alone, as a component of a mixture, or in an article - is included in the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), enterprises will bear corresponding legal obligations and should promptly take compliance measures: 
1. Information Disclosure Obligation: If an item contains substances on the candidate list and their concentration exceeds 0.1% (by weight), the supplier must provide necessary information on safe use to the customer and consumer. Consumers also have the right to request the supplier to explain whether the product they purchase contains SVHC. 
2. Notification obligation: Importers and producers must submit a notification to ECHA within six months from the date a substance is included in the candidate list. 
3. Obligation to update Safety Data Sheets (SDS): Suppliers in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), whether supplying substances on the candidate list in isolation or as part of mixtures, must promptly update their Safety Data Sheets (SDS) to ensure that the information provided to customers complies with the latest regulatory requirements. 
4. Obligation to report to the SCIP database: According to the Waste Framework Directive, if the items produced by an enterprise contain SVHCs at a concentration exceeding 0.1% (by weight), they must also be reported to ECHA. The relevant information will be made public in ECHAs database of substances of very high concern in articles (SCIP). 
Furthermore, in accordance with the EU Ecolabel Regulation, products containing SVHCs will not be eligible for the EU Ecolabel certification.