Catalysts are chemicals and must comply with the European Chemicals leglislation. Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. This sets out the responsibilities for producers and importers to managing the risks posed by chemicals and providing appropriate safety information for their users. Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) allows for the identification of hazardous chemicals.
Most catalysts are considered to be mixtures of substances, and these individual substances must be registered separately under REACH by the catalyst manufacturer or importer. For inorganic catalysts, this is included in the ECHA REACH Guidance on Substance Identification. The main basis for manufacturers and importers communicate information is the safety data sheets (SDS).