To know or not to know?

This article addresses the consumer’s right to information against the background of the European ‘REACH’ legislation, which, amongst other things, obliges companies to supply information to consumers whether certain chemical substances are present in a consumer product. Some other European Directives are also briefly evaluated to the extent that they are relevant in the context of a consumer’s right to information. Dilemmas related to a consumer’s right to information also emerge in the current political debate in the Netherlands, where the Labour Party is preparing a legislative proposal on a corporate duty to supply information to consumers – motivated by concerns of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This article goes into questions like: (i) What does the consumer’s right to information under REACH entail? (ii) Is the consumer’s right to product information also regulated in other EU legislation? (iii) Can a consumer obtain information on CSR aspects of the products he intends to buy? (iv) Do companies have the obligation to provide the requested information? (v) How do these rights work out in practice?