A regulatory term referring to a substance that: (a) meets the criteria laid down in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and is identified in ac.
Substance of concern is part of the formal vocabulary used in digital product passports, product sustainability information, durability, and ecodesign compliance. For this glossary, the key point is understanding how the source defines the term and where that definition sits within broader compliance or data requirements.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products
a substance that: (a) meets the criteria laid down in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and is identified in accordance with Article 59(1) of that Regulation; (b) is classified in Part 3 of Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 in one of the following hazard classes or hazard categories: (i) carcinogenicity categories 1 and 2; (ii) germ cell mutagenicity categories 1 and 2; (iii) reproductive toxicity categories 1 and 2; (iv) endocrine disruption for human health categories 1 and 2; (v) endocrine disruption for the environment categories 1 and 2; (vi) persistent, mobile and toxic or very persistent, very mobile properties; (vii) persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic or very persistent, very bioaccumulative properties; (viii) respiratory sensitisation category 1; (ix) skin sensitisation category 1; (x) hazardous to the aquatic environment — categories chronic 1 to 4; (xi) hazardous to the ozone layer; (xii) specific target organ toxicity — repeated exposure categories 1 and 2; (xiii) specific target organ toxicity — single exposure categories 1 and 2; (c) is regulated under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021; or (d) negatively affects the reuse and recycling of materials in the product in which it is present;
Reference: Article 2, point 27
In practice, this term matters when companies collect, structure, verify, or communicate sustainability data within digital product passports, product sustainability information, durability, and ecodesign compliance.
For Minespider, substance of concern is not just descriptive language. It is a modeling term that affects how sustainability, emissions, lifecycle, or product information should be captured and compared.