How we work

The Swedish Chemicals Agency is a Swedish authority that works to reduce the risks of people, animals and the environment being harmed by chemicals. We work in several ways in the field of chemicals. We develop proposals for new legislation, we examine applications for authorisations and we carry out enforcement to ensure that companies comply with current chemical regulations.

We operate in three main sub-areas:

  • The Swedish Chemicals Agency identifies substances that can be harmful and tries to reduce the risk of people coming into contact with them. We are involved in developing laws, both in Sweden and within the EU, so that substances can be handled safely. We work to ban and phase out those substances that are particularly problematic, so that they do not come out in to society.
  • We process applications for authorisations from companies that want to sell and use various pesticides. Pesticides is the only product group that require an authorisation from the Swedish Chemicals Agency in order for them to be sold. For all other types of products, the company that manufactures, imports or sells the product is responsible for ensuring that the content is safe to use.
  • The Swedish Chemicals Agency is one of the authorities responsible for enforcement of companies to ensure that they comply with the laws. The companies themselves are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe for human and animal health and for the environment. The companies must also ensure that their products can be handled and used in a safe way.

A summary concept for the Swedish Chemicals Agency's work is preventive chemical control. An important part of preventive chemical control is to increase companies' knowledge of harmful substances so that more companies become aware of and understand their responsibilities. We also spread knowledge to companies, organizations and the general public about the importance of handling harmful substances and chemical products safely.

Last published 18 May 2022