BASA, the Adhesives & Sealants Association for the UK and Ireland, has welcomed the government’s decision to push back key UK REACH registration deadlines by roughly three years, giving member companies much-needed breathing room, while renewing its warning that the Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm) remains unworkable for industry as currently proposed.
The REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/849), made on 16 July 2026 and coming into force on 6 August 2026, amend the assimilated UK version of the REACH Regulation (EC No 1907/2006) under the Environment Act 2021. A draft was approved by both Houses of Parliament, with the Secretary of State confirming consistency with REACH’s core aims and securing consent from Scottish and Welsh Ministers, alongside consultation with the HSE, Environment Agency and industry stakeholders.
Two sets of dates move. The HSE gains extra time to run compliance checks on registration dossiers, with deadlines shifting from 2027 to 2030, 2030 to 2032, and 2035 to 2036. The transitional import window for businesses still completing post-Brexit REACH obligations is also extended by around three years: the 1,000+ tonne threshold now runs to 27 October 2029, the 100+ tonne threshold to 27 October 2030, and the 1+ tonne threshold to 27 October 2031.
BASA has long argued that adhesives and sealants manufacturers, a sector reliant on complex, multi-substance formulations, faced an unrealistic timeline to compile compliance data. The extension gives members more room to prepare, and BASA is encouraging companies to use the additional time productively rather than as a reason to delay action.
However, BASA maintains the extra years don’t resolve its core concern: the ATRm itself. The association believes the model, as currently designed, doesn’t reflect how industry actually sources, formulates and shares substance data, and risks placing disproportionate cost and administrative burden on smaller manufacturers. BASA is calling on government to use this window to engage further with industry and revisit the model’s practical workability, rather than simply defer the same structural problems.
The regulations take effect 6 August 2026. The REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/849)
BASA represents the £1.7 billion UK and Irish adhesives and sealants sector, promoting innovation, compliance, and sustainability while supporting business growth and industry standards. Visit https://www.basa.uk.com/
