Chemicals Disclosure, Decoded

DPP vs SCIP — What's the Difference?

Both deal with substances of concern; they are not the same filing. SCIP is ECHA's database under EU waste law: since 5 January 2021, EU suppliers of articles containing a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1% weight-by-weight must notify it, so recyclers and consumers can see what's inside. The Digital Product Passport is the ESPR's product record — which will also carry substances data. Same underlying declaration, two destinations; the DPP does not replace the SCIP duty.

Written by the DPPLive Team · Last updated: 21 October 2026

What is the difference between the DPP and SCIP?

SCIP is ECHA's database under EU waste law: since 5 January 2021, EU suppliers must notify articles containing a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1% weight-by-weight. The Digital Product Passport is the ESPR's per-product record, which will also carry substances data. Both rely on the same declaration, but the DPP does not replace the SCIP duty.

SCIP
The waste-law database
Created under the Waste Framework Directive and run by ECHA. Trigger: an article contains a REACH Candidate List substance (SVHC) above 0.1% w/w. Duty-holders: EU producers, importers and distributors of articles — notifying since 5 January 2021. Audience: waste operators and curious consumers.
ECHA · since 2021
DPP
The product's own record
The ESPR's information framework explicitly targets substances of concern (Article 7(5)): the passport will name them per product, tracked through the product's life. Textiles onboard via the delegated act expected 2027. Audience: everyone from buyers to recyclers, tiered under Article 11.
ESPR · from 2027+
The Link
One declaration, two filings
Both stand on the same factory fact: which substances, at what concentration, in which component. REACH Article 33 makes it a communication duty; SCIP makes it a database entry; the DPP makes it machine-readable per product. Verify once at source — file three ways without re-testing.
Same SVHC data

For garment factories the operational answer is a living substance inventory: full-material declarations from dye houses and trim suppliers, mapped against the twice-yearly Candidate List updates, stored per style and per component. That single dataset answers your buyer's REACH Article 33 questions, powers their SCIP notification, and drops straight into the passport's substances field when the textile act lands. Our textile data field list shows where it sits among the other fields.

SCIP FAQ

Quick Answers

What exactly is the SCIP database?
+
SCIP is ECHA's database of Substances of Concern In articles or Products, created under the Waste Framework Directive. Since 5 January 2021, EU suppliers of articles containing a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1% weight-by-weight must submit a SCIP notification so waste operators and consumers can find the information.
What is the difference between REACH and the SCIP database?
+
REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) is the EU chemicals law. It sets the Candidate List of SVHCs and, in Article 33, the duty to tell your customer — and a consumer who asks — when an article contains a Candidate List SVHC above 0.1% weight-by-weight. SCIP is ECHA's database where EU suppliers send that same information, a separate duty under the Waste Framework Directive (Article 9(1)(i)) that has applied since 5 January 2021. In short: REACH Article 33 passes the information along the supply chain; a SCIP notification sends it to ECHA so waste operators and consumers can find it.
Does a non-EU factory submit SCIP notifications?
+
Not directly — the duty binds EU-based suppliers of articles: producers, importers and distributors. Your EU importer files, but only with substance data the factory provides, which is why SVHC declarations are a standing item in vendor documentation.
Does the DPP replace SCIP?
+
No. As of mid-2026 they are separate obligations under separate laws — SCIP under waste legislation, the DPP under the ESPR. The passport will carry substances-of-concern data too, so the same verified SVHC record can feed both filings, but a passport does not discharge the SCIP duty.
How does REACH Article 33 fit in?
+
Article 33 is the communication duty: anyone supplying an article with an SVHC above 0.1% must inform the recipient (and consumers on request) at least of the substance name and safe use. SCIP is the database expression of the same threshold; the DPP is becoming the machine-readable carrier for it.
Keep Reading

Go Deeper

Textile DPP Data Fields →
Substances among the passport's other fields.
DPP FAQ →
Includes the REACH/SVHC declaration basics.
DPP vs GPSR →
The safety-law cousin of this comparison.
Four EU Laws, One Pipeline →
The full regulatory map.
Sources & official references
DPPLive’s Take

One Substance Inventory. Every Filing.

Chemical compliance rots when it lives in email threads. Keep one verified substance inventory per style — declarations in, Candidate List mapped, concentrations recorded — and REACH answers, SCIP entries and passport fields all become exports of the same truth. That inventory is native to how DPPLive stores product data.

Free DPP Readiness Assessment →
For garment factories

Make your first Digital Product Passport this week

Start with a free four-week pilot on one style. After that DPPLive is free for up to 10 passports a month; above 10 a month we agree a custom price with you.

Start a free pilot 2 minutes Free readiness check 3 minutes
Prefer email? info@dpplive.com · We reply within 24 hours · Contact page