Textiles
Textiles Sector homepage on Chemical Watch Chemical Watch is delighted to provide the textiles sector homepage – a lens through which you can view our latest coverage about, and relevant to this specific sector.
This exciting feature pulls together news stories written about the textiles sector, along with coverage of interest to anyone working within this sector.
Norway proposes adding second PFC to UN POPs Convention
reduced by 2020 and companies must find safer alternatives.
Norway has submitted a proposal to list perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and related compounds, for action under the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). If approved by the parties to the convention, it will become the second listing of a perfluorocarbon under the treaty, joining perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and its precursor, perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride. The PFHxS compounds are used in firefighting foam, carpets and textiles, electronics and non-stick cookware.
Organisation - COP8 © UN
The Norwegian environment ministry says these qualify as POPs because they are persistent, bioaccumulative, travel long-range distances and are toxic. Earlier this year, Norway added the chemicals to its national list of priority substances, which means emissions must be eliminated or substantially
In other words, we’re putting everything relevant to you and your organisation within easy reach.
www.chemicalwatch.com/textiles
As well as describing them as a very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substance, Norway says they are suspected of being an endocrine disruptor. According to Trine Celius, the ministry’s senior adviser on biocides and chemicals, PFHxS, its salts and related compounds make up a group of about 50 substances which are mainly produced in China. They have been pre-registered under REACH and are under evaluation for inclusion on the candidate list, based on a SVHC dossier produced by Sweden. Ronald Bock, EMEA risk management manager at Chemours, a global manufacturer of fluorinated substances, told Chemical Watch that PHFxS is mostly produced as a degradation product of fellow fluorinated chemical PFOS. To the best of his knowledge, it is not used or sold in the EU but he said it may be used in China as a substitute for PFOS in certain applications, mainly in the galvanic metal plating industry. The proposal will be considered by the convention’s POPs Review Committee at its October meeting in Rome. If it decides the substance meets the screening criteria, it will forward the proposal, and its own evaluation, to the convention’s parties and observers. See www.chemicalwatch.com/56634
Court revokes US EPA approval of nanosilver product A California federal appeals court has revoked the US EPA’s conditional approval of a product containing nanosilver because it could not confirm that its use was in the public interest. The agency had temporarily registered the product “Nanosilva” under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticides Act (Fifra), arguing that it had the potential to reduce the amount of silver released into the environment. Nanosilva is a materials preservative used in a range of products such as furniture, shower curtains, wall coverings and sportswear. Fifra allows temporary registrations where products do not have enough supporting data to determine their long-term use is safe. But the EPA must first agree that use of the product is in the public interest. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that the agency’s conditional approval of Nanosilva was based on two “unsubstantiated assumptions”. The EPA had argued that current users of conventional silver biocides would replace them with Nanosilva, and that the product’s incorporation into new products would decrease the amount of silver released into the environment. According to the court the agency cites no evidence to support these assumptions. It merely argued that substitution would occur as a “logical matter”.
If the EPA’s assumptions are wrong, Nanosilva may in fact increase the amount of silver released into the environment, the court concluded. It said the core flaw in the EPA’s public interest findings is that it “assumed, without citing evidence, that [Nanosilva] would be used enough by some, but not too much by others, to reduce the amount of silver released into the environment.” Meanwhile, the court agreed with the EPA’s findings that Nanosilva uses less silver and is less likely to release it into the environment than conventional silver biocides. The EPA’s arguments were disputed by the three NGOs who mounted the legal challenge to the EPA’s conditional approval of Nanosilva, in 2015. They had argued that the increased toxicity of nanosilver outweighs any benefits gained from a lower application rate. And they claimed that the agency’s findings relied on deficient studies. See www.chemicalwatch.com/56221
ChemSec launches online marketplace for safer alternatives NGO ChemSec has launched the Marketplace – an interactive online portal, which allows manufacturers to advertise safer alternatives to hazardous products. Demand for the site originally came from the NGO’s business group, including Apple, B&Q, Boots, H&M and Ikea, which called for a site where they could select such products. ChemSec’s Anna Lennquist said the site aims to speed up the process, facilitate
exchange of information and improve visibility of alternatives. While companies are free to provide their own information on advertised alternatives, the NGO said it will undertake basic checks and require advertisers to verify certifications and ecolabels. Over the next three years, ChemSec is planning to update the site with global regulatory news, step-by-step guides to chemical substitution and information about safer alternatives. Advertised products Chemical producers Chemours, Clariant and Valspar are among those currently advertising on the portal. Chemours has advertised its Zelan R3/Teflon EcoElite finish. This is non-fluorinated and replaces fluorinated durable water repellent finishes and non-fluorinated finishes that the company says cannot meet performance requirements. Clariant has advertised its Exolit OP phosphorus-based flame retardants as replacements for brominated flame retardants, such as decaBDE, DBDPE, brominated polyacrylate and brominated epoxy polymer. Valspar’s valPure V70 is advertised as an alternative to industry standard epoxy-based coatings/linings for light metal packaging. It is a non-BPA solution, which can be used in coatings to line food, beverage and household product containers. Other producers featured on the Marketplace include: »» Beyond Surface Technologies; »» Bio Gen Active; »» EONCOAT;
Viewing our coverage through our textiles sector filter will make it easier for you to ensure you don’t miss any of our coverage of these developments. Take a look today to see for yourself how it might help you keep on top of key developments in this sector.
»» Greenway Denmark; »» Jerol; »» jobaTEC; »» Nordic Paper; »» OrganoComp, OrganoWood, OrganoTex and OrganoClick; »» Paxymer; and »» Rivertop Renewables. See www.chemicalwatch.com/55962
Aldi ‘eliminates’ PFCs from supply chain German retailer Aldi says it has eliminated the use of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) from its supply chain. The substances are used in water and oil-repellent finishing agents for textiles. According to its recently released ‘Detox Commitment Progress Report 2016’, the company has stipulated alternative finishing agents in supplier contracts since 31 December 2016. An Aldi spokesperson told Chemical Watch that textiles and footwear have been produced with the “ecological and sustainable technologies” BionicFinish Eco and Teflon EcoElite in Germany and Austria since 2015. This will now be extended to all other Aldi stores. See www.chemicalwatch.com/55616
Textiles best-of page To showcase some of our best coverage from this sector, Chemical Watch has pulled together a sample of our textiles articles from recent months, which are available to view right away, or via a quick and simple one-time registration (free of charge).
VIEW HERE
View the full range of articles on the textiles products sector here: www.chemicalwatch.com/textiles For full access, sign up for a free trial today and get two weeks’ unlimited access to Chemical Watch. Register here: www.chemicalwatch.com/register
www.chemicalwatch.com/ bestof/textiles
This exciting feature pulls together news stories written about the textiles sector, along with coverage of interest to anyone working within this sector.
Norway proposes adding second PFC to UN POPs Convention
reduced by 2020 and companies must find safer alternatives.
Norway has submitted a proposal to list perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and related compounds, for action under the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). If approved by the parties to the convention, it will become the second listing of a perfluorocarbon under the treaty, joining perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and its precursor, perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride. The PFHxS compounds are used in firefighting foam, carpets and textiles, electronics and non-stick cookware.
Organisation - COP8 © UN
The Norwegian environment ministry says these qualify as POPs because they are persistent, bioaccumulative, travel long-range distances and are toxic. Earlier this year, Norway added the chemicals to its national list of priority substances, which means emissions must be eliminated or substantially
In other words, we’re putting everything relevant to you and your organisation within easy reach.
www.chemicalwatch.com/textiles
As well as describing them as a very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substance, Norway says they are suspected of being an endocrine disruptor. According to Trine Celius, the ministry’s senior adviser on biocides and chemicals, PFHxS, its salts and related compounds make up a group of about 50 substances which are mainly produced in China. They have been pre-registered under REACH and are under evaluation for inclusion on the candidate list, based on a SVHC dossier produced by Sweden. Ronald Bock, EMEA risk management manager at Chemours, a global manufacturer of fluorinated substances, told Chemical Watch that PHFxS is mostly produced as a degradation product of fellow fluorinated chemical PFOS. To the best of his knowledge, it is not used or sold in the EU but he said it may be used in China as a substitute for PFOS in certain applications, mainly in the galvanic metal plating industry. The proposal will be considered by the convention’s POPs Review Committee at its October meeting in Rome. If it decides the substance meets the screening criteria, it will forward the proposal, and its own evaluation, to the convention’s parties and observers. See www.chemicalwatch.com/56634
Court revokes US EPA approval of nanosilver product A California federal appeals court has revoked the US EPA’s conditional approval of a product containing nanosilver because it could not confirm that its use was in the public interest. The agency had temporarily registered the product “Nanosilva” under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticides Act (Fifra), arguing that it had the potential to reduce the amount of silver released into the environment. Nanosilva is a materials preservative used in a range of products such as furniture, shower curtains, wall coverings and sportswear. Fifra allows temporary registrations where products do not have enough supporting data to determine their long-term use is safe. But the EPA must first agree that use of the product is in the public interest. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that the agency’s conditional approval of Nanosilva was based on two “unsubstantiated assumptions”. The EPA had argued that current users of conventional silver biocides would replace them with Nanosilva, and that the product’s incorporation into new products would decrease the amount of silver released into the environment. According to the court the agency cites no evidence to support these assumptions. It merely argued that substitution would occur as a “logical matter”.
If the EPA’s assumptions are wrong, Nanosilva may in fact increase the amount of silver released into the environment, the court concluded. It said the core flaw in the EPA’s public interest findings is that it “assumed, without citing evidence, that [Nanosilva] would be used enough by some, but not too much by others, to reduce the amount of silver released into the environment.” Meanwhile, the court agreed with the EPA’s findings that Nanosilva uses less silver and is less likely to release it into the environment than conventional silver biocides. The EPA’s arguments were disputed by the three NGOs who mounted the legal challenge to the EPA’s conditional approval of Nanosilva, in 2015. They had argued that the increased toxicity of nanosilver outweighs any benefits gained from a lower application rate. And they claimed that the agency’s findings relied on deficient studies. See www.chemicalwatch.com/56221
ChemSec launches online marketplace for safer alternatives NGO ChemSec has launched the Marketplace – an interactive online portal, which allows manufacturers to advertise safer alternatives to hazardous products. Demand for the site originally came from the NGO’s business group, including Apple, B&Q, Boots, H&M and Ikea, which called for a site where they could select such products. ChemSec’s Anna Lennquist said the site aims to speed up the process, facilitate
exchange of information and improve visibility of alternatives. While companies are free to provide their own information on advertised alternatives, the NGO said it will undertake basic checks and require advertisers to verify certifications and ecolabels. Over the next three years, ChemSec is planning to update the site with global regulatory news, step-by-step guides to chemical substitution and information about safer alternatives. Advertised products Chemical producers Chemours, Clariant and Valspar are among those currently advertising on the portal. Chemours has advertised its Zelan R3/Teflon EcoElite finish. This is non-fluorinated and replaces fluorinated durable water repellent finishes and non-fluorinated finishes that the company says cannot meet performance requirements. Clariant has advertised its Exolit OP phosphorus-based flame retardants as replacements for brominated flame retardants, such as decaBDE, DBDPE, brominated polyacrylate and brominated epoxy polymer. Valspar’s valPure V70 is advertised as an alternative to industry standard epoxy-based coatings/linings for light metal packaging. It is a non-BPA solution, which can be used in coatings to line food, beverage and household product containers. Other producers featured on the Marketplace include: »» Beyond Surface Technologies; »» Bio Gen Active; »» EONCOAT;
Viewing our coverage through our textiles sector filter will make it easier for you to ensure you don’t miss any of our coverage of these developments. Take a look today to see for yourself how it might help you keep on top of key developments in this sector.
»» Greenway Denmark; »» Jerol; »» jobaTEC; »» Nordic Paper; »» OrganoComp, OrganoWood, OrganoTex and OrganoClick; »» Paxymer; and »» Rivertop Renewables. See www.chemicalwatch.com/55962
Aldi ‘eliminates’ PFCs from supply chain German retailer Aldi says it has eliminated the use of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) from its supply chain. The substances are used in water and oil-repellent finishing agents for textiles. According to its recently released ‘Detox Commitment Progress Report 2016’, the company has stipulated alternative finishing agents in supplier contracts since 31 December 2016. An Aldi spokesperson told Chemical Watch that textiles and footwear have been produced with the “ecological and sustainable technologies” BionicFinish Eco and Teflon EcoElite in Germany and Austria since 2015. This will now be extended to all other Aldi stores. See www.chemicalwatch.com/55616
Textiles best-of page To showcase some of our best coverage from this sector, Chemical Watch has pulled together a sample of our textiles articles from recent months, which are available to view right away, or via a quick and simple one-time registration (free of charge).
VIEW HERE
View the full range of articles on the textiles products sector here: www.chemicalwatch.com/textiles For full access, sign up for a free trial today and get two weeks’ unlimited access to Chemical Watch. Register here: www.chemicalwatch.com/register
www.chemicalwatch.com/ bestof/textiles
