REACHing further through Innovation

The focus of this year’s International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) Congress in China, is “Sustainability – Guaranteed by Wool.” Huntsman Textile Effects, with our proven track record in LANASOL CE sustainable wool dyes, will present a paper that focuses on REACH, the European Union regulation for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals, which entered into force on 1 June 2007, and the consequences this legislation has on the wool industry.

REACH has one key central aim: to protect human health and the environment from the risks arising from the use of chemicals. The scope of REACH is really extensive and impacts the entire supply chain from product design and development through to it recycling re-use and disposal.

Within the REACH legislation some chemicals are labeled as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), one of the criteria being scientific evidence of probable serious effects to human health or the environment. With most major retailers now including SVHCs in their own Restricted Substance Lists, the commercial pressure to ensure that SVHCs are not present in articles and goods is steadily growing and having a greater impact than compliance.

Chrome dyes have traditionally been the standard for wool dyeing, and potassium dichromate, the mordant used in the after treatment of chromes dyes is listed as an SVHC. Over 12 years ago Textile Effects made a move away from this hazardous dyeing method with innovative technology that allowed replacement of chrome dyes with sustainable products, and a new range of metal-free reactive dyes for wool, LANASOL CE, first appeared on the market. This range has developed so significantly that a recent industry size test proved that the LANASOL CE range outperformed traditional chrome dyes right across the board – at every level of dyeing and processing.

Seriously sustainable innovations from Huntsman Textile Effects are making a difference!