Formulated polymer material
REACH: Consequences for Plastics and Rubbers

A strong demand from end-users of plastics and rubbers is for transparency on polymer constituents and formulation additives. The question is simple: how can the constituents of a plastic material (polymer and additives) be known transparently and exhaustively? This demand runs counter to the confidentiality required by producers to protect their industrial property, and the secrecy required by compounders to protect their know-how.

The fact remains, however, that without knowledge of the constituents, it is impossible for the intermediate processor to meet his end customer's REACH requirements. In addition, knowledge of additive systems is necessary to control emissions and the risks of extraction of unrelated substances at the various stages...