REACH - The European regulation for chemical substances

In 2007, the regulation harmonised and simplified the chemicals legislation in force to that point. It also replaced various decrees. The goal of REACH is to better protect human health and the environment. That is why REACH regulates the use of the chemical substances used both in industrial processes and products one the one hand and in everyday products, such as clothing, furniture, and electrical appliances, on the other. The regulation states that manufacturers, importers, and subsequent users bear responsibility for the chemicals used. It is necessary to ensure that manufactured chemicals placed on the market are used safely. The scope includes manufacturers and/or importers who produce substances at rates of more than one ton per year in the European Union or import such substances into the European Union at that rate. The REACH regulation is both modern and one of the strictest chemicals laws worldwide. 

For our chainflex cables, this means the following:

The REACH directive is only partially valid for igus®: As a manufacturer of cables, the company is defined as a "downstream user" with regard to the value-added chain. Nevertheless, the contents of the REACH directive and its rules for the production and processing of chemical substances are observed at igus®. For example, no chemicals that are above the valid REACH limits are used in the production of chainflex® cables. The entire range of chainflex® cables is free from materials such as sodium peroxometaborates, cadmium sulphides, and dihexyl phthalates.