SGS Releases Updated SVHC Screen Lite Program

Geneva-based SGS Consumer Testing Services has released an updated program to help textile and
footwear companies identify and detect substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in their products so
that they might minimize risks associated with those substances and reach compliance with
requirements of the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH) regulations.

Earlier this year, six new chemicals were added to the REACH SVHC Candidate List, bringing
the total to 144. The newly listed chemicals include: cadmium; cadmium oxide; ammonium
pentadecafluoroocatanoate (APFO); pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); dipentyl phthalate (DPP);
and 4-nonylphenol, branched and linear, ethoxylated.

SGS’s newest SVHC Screen Lite Program includes high-risk SVHCs that are specifically relevant
for textile and footwear, as they are frequently found in textiles, coatings, leather, plastic and
prints. The list organizes the substances according to the following categories:

•    phthalates;

•    flame retardants;

•    alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates;

•    immediates for dyes and pigments;

•    solvents;

•    lead compounds;

•    chromium compounds;

•    sulphate compounds;

•    anhydrides;

•    perfluorinated compound; and

•    others.

In order to comply with the REACH Article 33 substance declarations requirement, companies
must supply safety information for any product that contains more than 0.1 percent of any SVHC. The
SGS SVHC Screen Lite Program is available at selected SGS Softlines laboratories around the world.

September 24, 2013 

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