Cleaninng up our act: safe, non-hazardous manufacturing is already possible

According to the British Coatings Federation (BCF), most manufacturing industries are looking to move away, where possible, from the use of hazardous components in production processes. Corporate social responsibility, staff and end user safety, as well as environmental considerations, are leading many manufacturers to investigate replacements for hazardous substances in production processes.

New EU Legislation

The main issue these manufacturers face at present is that where alternative substances are available they are expensive. However, proposed EU legislation relating to the use and control of hazardous chemicals may force manufacturers’ hands by restricting the number of carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxins (CMRs) authorised for use. Even those CMRs that are authorised will undoubtedly become more costly due to necessary testing costs.

As part of its overall look into the issue of chemical control, the EU developed draft REACH proposals in 2003, relating to the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals. This proposed new regulation would replace 40 pieces of current legislation in the chemical industry and aims to ‘increase the protection of human health and the environment from exposure to chemicals while at the same time maintain and enhance the competitiveness and innovative capability of the EU chemicals industry’ (European Union statement).

According to the BCF, the draft REACH proposals are currently moving through Parliament but there is a suggestion that some elements may be introduced in the next three years.

The BCF believes that REACH would see the end of many CMR chemicals in manufacturing processes. This is largely because it will require suppliers of products containing such substances to provide a dossier authorising their use and stating that the chemical is safe in use. It’s likely that the costs associated with this authorisation process will make the alternative substances that are currently seen as cost prohibitive much more affordable, making it easier for manufacturers to justify the switch to non-hazardous chemicals.

In the window industry potentially hazardous chromium chemical compounds are used in coating applications to enhance colour, increase abrasion resistance and protect against corrosion. The chromium compound CrVI (also known as hexavalent chromium or Chromium VI) is used in within standard yellow passivation for window and door hardware.

Alternatives

proposed EU legislation relating to the use and control of hazardous chemicals may force manufacturers’ hands

Alternatives to CrVI are already available and here, so the window industry has an advantage over other sectors. In early 2001, hardware manufacturer Siegenia-Aubi launched an alternative to yellow passivation (the E-Look coating) offering unrivalled performance without CrVI.

E-Look has extremely high resistance to red corrosion, to at least 1,000 hours in the DIN 50021 SS salt-spray test (equivalent to BS7479) and has been used in a wide range of installations across the UK over the past four years, delivering significant performance benefits but eliminating the risks associated with CrVI.

Following the success of E-Look, Siegenia-Aubi developed a second CrVI-free hardware option. TS-Look presents architects, specifiers and fabricators with a high performance, modern silver finish that is environmentally sound with outstanding levels of corrosion resistance; 72 hours protection against white rust and up to 480 hours against red rust – double the requirements of RAL RG 607/3.

Getting Ahead

Other hardware manufacturers are now following suit so the message to the rest of the industry is that safe, non-hazardous manufacturing is already possible in this sector. This gives hardware manufacturers a real opportunity to get ahead of the EU proposals and take advantage of safer alternatives that are already available. By investigating the alternatives now, we will be working towards making the window industry safer for our manufacturing staff, customers and end users. Surely that’s got to be a good thing?

The British Coatings Federation (BCF) is the sole trade association for the decorative, industrial and powder coatings and printing inks manufacturing industries in the UK.