The tasks of the European Chemicals Agency are to manage and carry out the technical, scientific and administrative aspects of Regulation 1907/2006 of December 18, 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), to ensure consistency at Community level with regard to these aspects, and to provide Member States and EU institutions with the best possible technical and scientific knowledge and advice on these issues.
Specific page on the use of animals : click here
ECHA regularly publishes a report on the use of alternatives to animal testing under the REACH Regulation on chemicals. The first report was published in 2020, and the sixth was released in June 2026:
– complete document : click here
– summary: Click here
This report combines a quantitative analysis of REACH registration dossiers (2008–2025) with a strategic overview of ECHA’s work on New Methodological Approaches (NMAs).
Some key messages from the report:
1/ Alternatives to animal testing are now used more frequently than laboratory animal studies; the most commonly used method is “read-across” (see our page on in silico methods).
2/ The REACH Regulation still relies heavily on legacy animal data (from before the REACH Regulation);
3/ The most obvious progress has been made in areas where validated non-animal methods have become the regulatory standard (skin and eye irritation, skin sensitization);
4/ Acute toxicology remains a major challenge for complete replacement;
5/ The number of newly registered substances has dropped sharply.
One of the most significant developments for the future is the creation of the Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing (CP-AAT )
