Could this lead to a broader ban?
The Environmental Agency of Norway recently published an amendment to its consumer products regulation to ban perfluorooctanoic acid, (PFOA) from consumer goods. The PFOA ban will affect textiles and take effect in 2014. This is in addition to PFOA being placed on ECHA’s substance of very high concern list (SVHC).
PFOA is a degradation product, or an impurity, present in some long chain perfluorinated chemicals. These chemicals are used to provide great consumer benefits such as stain management, (water and oil repellency) and excellent durable water repellency (DWR) to protect against inclement weather. You can see why this family of chemicals has become so popular on textile products. But there is continuing evidence showing that PFOA is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to the environment as well as a possible carcinogen.
Many chemical companies have signed an agreement to stop manufacturing PFOA but the chemical is still being mass-produced and applied to products. In order to comply with the new regulation, brands will need to add PFOA to their restricted substance lists, if they have not already done so, and work more closely with their suppliers to ensure the chemical is not being used.
Source: http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/english/
What are the implications for your business?
Questions to consider:
- How are you going to ensure PFOA is not present in your products?
- Do you have a strategy in place if this regulation spills over into other countries?
- If safer alternatives do not exist or perform to the same level, what strategy will you employ to address this?
For help with any issue associated with chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions that protect company and brand reputation and result in safer products manufactured in cleaner supply chains.
Tips and Insights is published bi-monthly and contains information to help you make informed chemical management decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider for your business.