Nicole Rauch

Lawyer
+49 (0)821 899 823-25
+49 (0)171 128 17 69

Nicole Rauch

Nicole Rauch specializes mainly in advising on chemical and substance law (especially chemicals, hazardous substances and mixtures, biocides, fluorinated greenhouse gases). In addition, she advises on matters of material compliance at the interface between environmental law (especially electrical and electronic equipment, immission control, water law), accessibility law, and food contact materials law. Her clients are companies at the national and European level, especially in the chemical industry, on their way to product compliance. Her consulting practice covers everything from day-to-day business, e.g., regulation in the supply chain and sales, to support for product stewardship projects, e.g., regulatory issues in corporate transactions. As part of her consulting services, she not only focuses on the applicable legal requirements, but also works with clients to address upcoming legal changes in the context of advocacy projects. She represents companies in relevant administrative and court proceedings at the national and European level.

Nicole Rauch mainly advises companies on all matters relating to chemicals and substances law (including REACH, CLP, BPR or FGasR). She also advises on material compliance matters at the interface with environmental law (in particular RoHS in the European context and BImSchG and WHG in the national plant-related context), accessibility law (BFSG and the European Accessibility Act), and food contact materials law (including Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 and Regulation (EU) 2022/1616).

As part of her work, she identifies and assesses risks in the area of product or rather material compliance, in connection with audits, in the context of liability cases, and in the support of M&A transactions.
Particular attention is given to a comprehensive regulatory approach, which specifically highlights the interactions between chemical law and other areas of law. This includes, for example, the (legal) use of PFAS in food production and processing or in the life sciences sector.

Therefore, issues relating to securing the location of manufacturing companies at the interface between product law requirements and plant-related requirements are often a particular focus. Overlaps arise in particular with regard to food-related issues under immission control law or water law, which are inextricably linked to production. This applies in particular to the areas of food production and processing, life sciences, and the chemical industry.

Special focus is placed on developing interdisciplinary approaches to matters concerning substance restrictions and bans in a multi-regulatory environment. This includes, for example, the applicability of international product regulations such as the Stockholm Convention.

The holistic consulting approach she pursues is based on taking her clients' interests into account as early as possible. Depending on the status of the legislative process, these interests can be heard at an earlier stage, ideally before the legal framework is implemented, with the participation of existing association structures and stakeholder consultations.

  • legal studies at the University of Bayreuth, with emphasis on food, health and economic law
  • longtime author of the specialist magazine “Der Lebensmittelkontrolleur”, published by the German federal Association of Food Inspectors (known as BVLK e.V.)
  • Qualification as a business mediator
  • legal clerkship in the district of Higher Regional Court Bamberg, including a period at an international law firm in Berlin in the field of product law
  • since 2024, lawyer at Produktkanzlei

Languages: German, English

  • Scope and extent of the obligation to provide a declaration of conformity in Regulation (EU) 2022/1616; the scientific paper with the aforementioned topic in German can be found in ZfPC 2025, p. 70ff.