Here at Armoloy, we are well aware of the EU REACH programme.
This acronym covers the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. This is a set of regulations that came into law in June 2007 and is managed by the European Chemicals Agency ( ECHA ) in Helsinki.
The purpose of this legislation is to provide a framework for risk reduction in the areas of Health & Safety and the Environment. The method of achieving this is to identify any Substances of Very High Concern ( SVHCs ) and look at whether alternative processes are available that can achieve the same results.
We at Armoloy have been closely following the progress of this law since it was first determined that Hexavalent Chromium compounds were to be placed on the list of SVHCs - this list being referred to as Annex XIV. The reason we are specifically interested is that one of these compounds is a major constituent of our processing solution.
A complex legal argument is currently running in Europe as to whether these compounds should be on the list, but the current situation is that they are.
Because we at Armoloy take our responsibilities in these matters seriously, we have been active in many of the discussions that have taken place in the UK since 2007. In order to further our knowledge and understanding of these new regulations, we are pleased to confirm that we are Gold level subscribers to the REACHready organisation. This gives us the benefit of independent advice and allows us to formulate a future policy that will benefit our customers and assure our long term supply.
Because no alternative for ARMOLOY TDC is available, it is our intention to apply and obtain authorisation to continue to operate our process under our existing stringent controls that cover all our employees and the environment.
In saying this, we can also confirm that the ARMOLOY TDC coating itself is in no way subject to any of the REACH regulations, ( i.e. There is no downstream REACH liability ) having been fully tested and approved by many organisations on previous occasions. Safety sheets and Certificates confirming this are available if required.