Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterWater, Waste & Pollution
ChemSec SIN List
Definition
A science-based list maintained by the Swedish non-profit ChemSec (International Chemical Secretariat, founded 2002) identifying substances that fulfil the criteria for Substances of Very High Concern under REACH — CMR, PBT, vPvB or equivalent concern such as endocrine disruption — regardless of whether regulators have acted. First published in September 2008, it now covers roughly 1,500 chemicals and group entries, including PFAS as a class.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
The SIN List is an advocacy instrument with market teeth: by applying REACH's own criteria without waiting for the political listing process, it shows "the way REACH would look without the political roadblocks".
Companies use it for proactive substitution (avoiding substances regulators will eventually restrict), and investors use SIN List exposure to gauge regulatory and litigation risk in chemicals-dependent portfolios.
The list is backed by a published methodology, updated over the years (a 2010 expansion foregrounded endocrine disruptors), and paired with tools like SINimilarity, which flags structurally similar unlisted chemicals. It demonstrates NGO-produced data shaping corporate and financial decisions ahead of law.
How it is used
Product teams screen formulations against the SIN List for phase-out planning; ESG data providers score portfolio exposure; retailers and brands embed it in restricted-substances policies; policymakers cite it in restriction debates.
Why it matters
The SIN List is the best-known example of civil-society "shadow regulation" — compressing the lag between hazard science and legal action, and pricing chemical risk before regulators do.