Limitation of specific substances/substance groups
Level: Advanced
There are several problematic substances/substance groups that are difficult to exclude by means of general requirements for substances or classification of products. Therefore it is important to set requirements that minimizes the amount of such substances/substance groups in the products.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 11291:1
- Group:
- Cosmetic products
Criterion text
The following substances and substance groups shall not be ingredients1 in the product:
- EDTA (CAS 60-00-4)
- Substances evaluated by the EU to be PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) or vPvB (very persistent and very bioaccumulative)2
- Substances on the Candidate list3
- Substances that are considered to be endocrine disruptors or potential endocrine disruptors4
Exception:
EDTA at levels below 0.6 mg / g active content (AC) in solid soap.
1Ingredient substances are all substances in the product, including additives such as preservatives and stabilizers. However, impurities from raw material production are not included. Impurities are residues from raw material production in concentrations below 0,01 percent by weight in the product. Substances added to a raw material deliberately and with a certain purpose are not considered impurities regardless of concentration.
2Criteria for evaluation if a substances is PBT/vPvB can be found here https://www.kemi.se/prio-start/kriterier/kriterierna-i-detalj/pbtvpvb
3Candidate list can be found on the following link http://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table
4This refers to endocrine-disrupting substances on lists I and II: https://edlists.org/
Verification
The supplier shall, upon request, be able to present any of for example the following:
- Valid license for any of for example the following labels:
Nordic Swan Ecolabel for cosmetic products
- Certificate from the manufacturer of the product that none of the substances/substance groups in the requirement is present in levels above 0,01 weight percent. Safety data sheets and other technical documentation for all the ingredient substances from the raw material suppliers shall be available as a basis for the certificate.
- The supplier’s self-declaration including technical documentation of compliance verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task in accordance with ISO/IEC 17029 or equivalent standard.
Proposed follow-up
Labelling
If the requirement is verified with a label, check that there is a valid license for the product in question. This can be controlled here: Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body
If a verified self-declaration is used to prove that the requirement is fulfilled, request the supplier’s self-declaration, including documentation showing that the requirement is met. The self-declaration shall be verified by a verification body accredited for the task in accordance with ISO / IEC 17029 or equivalent standard.
Information about the criterion
Please note that this requirement cannot be verified with safety data sheets for constituent substances.
There are currently a limited number of accredited verification bodies for ISO/IEC 17029 (Conformity assessment - General principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies) as it is a relatively new standard. This may change, especially if the demand for verifying compliance in this way increases. More information about the standard and accredited verification bodies can be found on Swedac's website.
Environmental goals
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 11291:1
- Version date
- 2022-07-07
2022-07-07, Requirement ID 11291: 1: Update of requirement text and exemption from the requirement.