The Event

REACH Conference 2026 Katowice-Chorzów · 30 Sep - 1 Oct 2026

Now in its 16th edition, REACH Conference is an established gathering of chemicals and regulatory professionals from EU institutions, enforcement bodies, industry, and academia. It runs as a hybrid conference from Hotel Arsenal Palace in Katowice-Chorzów, Poland, with past editions drawing speakers from the European Parliament, the European Commission, ECHA, and major manufacturers like BASF and Volkswagen.

This is a specialist regulatory event rather than an ecommerce trade show, and that is exactly its value to a growing US or UK brand: the policy detail it surfaces is a direct look at the scale of chemicals compliance a business takes on the moment it starts shipping product into the EU.

View event site → What this means for EU expansion

The Room

Who's expected at REACH Conference 2026

The audience is built around chemicals regulation as a profession, not a category of ecommerce sellers. Expect regulatory affairs specialists from manufacturers, representatives of EU institutions and enforcement bodies, trade association staff, and academics tracking how REACH and related rules are evolving.

Regulatory Affairs Managers EU Institution & Enforcement Staff Trade Association Representatives Chemicals & Cosmetics Manufacturers

For a growing brand seeking the next step up, is REACH Conference 2026 a good fit?

Where it earns its place is in the substance, not the seat count. The room is built for large manufacturers and policy professionals, which means REACH 2.0, the Digital Product Passport, and the cosmetics-specific sessions get treated with a level of technical depth most ecommerce events never reach. Expandly already manages these obligations on behalf of clients, so the topic list is a useful early signal of where EU chemicals compliance is heading, valuable groundwork for any successful business mapping out what expansion into Europe actually involves.

Regulatory Affairs Managers

In-house specialists tracking REACH, CLP, and product-category rules for manufacturers selling across the EU.

EU Institution & Enforcement Staff

Representatives from bodies such as the European Commission and ECHA discussing enforcement priorities and upcoming legislative change.

Chemicals & Cosmetics Manufacturers

Large industry players, including companies like BASF and Volkswagen, weighing in on the practical impact of new and revised regulation.

Programme

What's on at REACH Conference 2026

The two-day program groups sessions around REACH's next revision, adjacent chemicals and product legislation, and sector-specific compliance challenges.

01REACH & Chemicals Legislation

The core regulatory track, covering the ongoing REACH revision and where REACH 2.0 is headed, alongside the wider direction of EU chemical legislation.

REACH Revision & REACH 2.0
Current and Future Chemical Legislation
One Substance – One Assessment Approach

02Labelling, Classification & Digital Compliance

Sessions on how products get classified, labeled, and tracked, including the CLP Omnibus changes and the emerging Digital Product Passport requirement.

Changes to the CLP Regulation & Omnibus
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
Substances of Concern (SOC)

03Product Categories in Focus

Category-specific sessions looking at how new and revised rules land on cosmetics, detergents, and ethanol-containing products.

New Detergents Regulation
Impact of New Regulations on the Cosmetics Industry
Ethanol and its Legal Status

04Enforcement, Fair Trading & Industry Voice

Practical and enforcement-focused sessions covering inspections, unfair commercial practices, and how industry is responding to the pace of regulatory change.

Chemical Inspections: Selected Topics
Greenwashing & Unfair Commercial Practices
Industry Perspectives and Expectations

Live Intelligence

What's being said about REACH Conference 2026

Based on the published 2026 topic list, these are the themes likely to dominate discussion in Katowice this year.

REACH 2.0 is the headline act again

EVENT PROGRAM · Aug 2026

The REACH Revision has been a recurring conference topic for several years, and 2026's program keeps it front and center alongside the broader direction of EU chemicals legislation. Expect the session to focus on where the revision has landed rather than a finished, settled rulebook.

Digital Product Passport moves from theory to agenda item

EVENT PROGRAM · Aug 2026

The Digital Product Passport has its own dedicated session this year, a sign that the concept has moved from background policy discussion into something regulatory professionals are actively planning around. The scope and product categories it will eventually cover are still being worked out.

Cosmetics gets its own regulatory spotlight

EVENT PROGRAM · Aug 2026

A dedicated session on new regulations' impact on the cosmetics industry sits alongside the detergents and ethanol tracks, pointing to a program with real category-level detail rather than generic chemicals policy. For beauty and personal care sellers, this is the closest thing on the agenda to sector-specific guidance.

Enforcement and fair trading get equal billing with legislation

EVENT PROGRAM · Aug 2026

Sessions on chemical inspections and greenwashing sit next to the legislative tracks, suggesting the conference is treating enforcement reality as inseparable from the rules themselves. Industry Perspectives and Expectations closes the loop by putting manufacturer voices directly against the regulatory agenda.

The bigger picture

Chemicals policy in Brussels shapes product compliance everywhere

Most US and UK brands never send anyone to a conference like this, and most don't need to. But the rules discussed in rooms like Katowice's eventually become the labeling, notification, and Responsible Person obligations that decide whether a product can legally sell into the EU. REACH, CLP, and the emerging Digital Product Passport all sit upstream of the day-to-day compliance work brands actually feel.

REACH and CLP changes tend to arrive first as guidance for manufacturers, then filter down into what sellers must prove at the point of sale.
Cosmetics and detergents face category-specific obligations on top of general EU rules, and those obligations move independently of general ecommerce compliance timelines.
The Digital Product Passport is still forming, but its direction points toward more structured product data being expected over time.
Getting ahead of a rule change is far cheaper than fixing a listing or a shipment after the fact.

A brand doesn't need a seat in Katowice to benefit from what's discussed there. It needs a partner tracking the same regulatory signals and translating them into what actually changes for its products.

Category-specific rules stack up

Cosmetics, detergents, and chemicals each carry their own compliance layer on top of general EU requirements, and a brand selling across categories has to track all of them at once.

3+ regulatory tracks on the 2026 agenda alone

Digital Product Passport direction, not deadline

The DPP framework is still being defined, so brands should treat it as a direction to prepare for rather than a fixed date to hit.

TBD scope and timing still being confirmed

One partner, not a stack of vendors

EU entry usually means stitching together a VAT agent, a 3PL, a compliance advisor, and a marketplace consultant. Expandly runs all of it as one operation, using the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™), so the coordination burden never lands on your team.

GEP™ one method, compliance to fulfillment

Good to Know

Questions aboutREACH Conference 2026

What does REACH Conference 2026 actually cover?

The 2026 program runs across REACH Revision and REACH 2.0, changes to the CLP Regulation and the Omnibus package, the new Detergents Regulation, the Digital Product Passport, the One Substance One Assessment approach, Substances of Concern, and sector-specific sessions on cosmetics, greenwashing, chemical inspections, and fast-moving consumer goods. It is a working agenda for people who handle EU chemicals policy day to day, not an introductory overview.

Who actually attends, and should a US or UK ecommerce brand send someone?

The room skews toward chemicals and regulatory professionals: EU institution staff, enforcement bodies, trade associations, and compliance teams from large manufacturers, so it runs deeper than a typical trade show breakout. That depth is exactly what makes it useful. REACH 2.0, the Digital Product Passport, and the cosmetics-specific sessions all feed directly into the product compliance work Expandly manages for brands selling into the EU, giving a thriving domestic business a clear read on how detailed EU chemicals regulation actually gets.

What does the Digital Product Passport agenda item mean for ecommerce sellers?

The Digital Product Passport is part of the EU's push toward tracking a product's materials, origin, and compliance data across its lifecycle. It is still taking shape as a regulatory framework, with scope and timing varying by product category, so this session is best read as a signal of direction rather than a fixed deadline. Sellers in categories likely to be drawn in should expect more structured reporting requirements over time, without a confirmed date to plan against yet.

What extra rules apply to selling beauty and cosmetics in the EU?

Cosmetics face specific EU rules on top of general compliance: each product must be notified through the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP), hold a safety assessment, and name an EU Responsible Person. Ingredient and labeling rules are strict. These sit alongside VAT (value-added tax) and packaging registration, so beauty brands should confirm the cosmetics-specific set early.

What are the main compliance requirements for selling in the EU?

The main pillars are: product safety and an EU or UK Responsible Person, packaging registration under Extended Producer Responsibility rules, VAT (value-added tax) registration, and correct labeling. Requirements vary by product category, so what applies to cosmetics differs from electronics or food. Getting the applicable set confirmed before launch avoids expensive corrections.

What is EPR and does my brand need to register?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) makes you financially responsible for the packaging and certain products you put on a market, paid through registration and fees. It applies per country, so Germany, France, and others each need separate registration. Selling without it risks marketplace suspension and fines, so it is part of the pre-launch setup.

Make Your Move

Skip the conferencelet us handle the rulebook

You don't need a seat in Katowice to stay ahead of REACH, CLP, or the Digital Product Passport. You need a team already tracking them on your behalf.

Expandly manages the product compliance work these conferences discuss, from cosmetics notification to labeling and Extended Producer Responsibility, as part of the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™). Fulfillment runs through our Netherlands warehouse, and for brands selling on Amazon, we work alongside our Recommended E2E Expansion Partner to keep listings compliant. If EU chemicals regulation is on your radar, let's talk about what it means for your product line.