What Is REACH And CPSIA2008?

REACH

REACH is a European Union regulation that aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. This is done by the four processes of REACH, namely the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals.  The Regulation also calls for the progressive substitution of the most dangerous chemicals (referred to as "substances of very high concern" SVHC) when suitable alternatives have been identified.  The list of SVHC is updated regularly.  The Regulation came into force in 2007, with the provisions being phased in over an 11 year period.  While REACH strictly covers chemicals, and not finished articles such as BioThane Coated Webbing products, the EU market is asking for finished articles to comply with REACH. 3rd party testing is covered in this regulation and BioThane Coated Webbing has conducted such testing.

CPSIA 2008

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was an amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972, and was enacted in response to finding lead-based paint on children’s toys imported from China.  This regulation places restrictions or bans on chemicals to be used in final articles meant to be used by or on a child, with the focus on lead and phthalates.  The law assumes that chemicals in the final article can be extracted out by the child chewing on the article.  3rd party testing is covered in this regulation, and BioThane Coated Webbing has conducted such testing.