The Regulatory Compliance Lens – STI’s Vision

Manufacturers and their associated supply chains face ever-growing, complex, and frequent changes to end-client requirements concerning energy consumption, material selection/utilization, responsible sourcing, and durability/recyclability – all of which can directly impact product design and drastically affect both costs and delivery. Further embedded in this vital yet seemingly perpetual realm is the adherence to and impact of chemical regulations compliance as it concerns materials and their composition. Despite well-intentioned efforts to standardize chemical regulations across the globe through programs such as the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) adopted by the United Nations in 2003, companies still must navigate regulatory guidelines that vary widely from state to state and country to country.

STI incorporates an extensive review of various chemical regulatory initiative requirements on all products manufactured and offered for commercial sale as a function of the company’s product stewardship responsibilities and due diligence. This review must encompass all applicable global regulatory governing entities and agencies due to the nature of STI’s business and requires clear, detailed disclosure as such via documented means readily disseminated and available in the public domain, such as product safety data sheets (SDSs.) Examples of these global regulatory initiatives include:

–  The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Inventory is regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This inventory listing, intended to secure information on all new and existing chemical substances, as well as to control any of the substances that were determined to cause unreasonable risk to public health or the environment, contains over 86,000 chemical compounds (over 42,000 active) as of the most recent update (August 2023.) 

The Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) Inventory List regulated by the European Union’s Chemicals Agency, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.

–  The European Union’s Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 (RoHS3 Directive) implemented for restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

–  Other global/international legislative initiatives analogous to the above.

Many of these regulations are updated with predetermined and random frequencies, requiring continuous monitoring and review to maintain compliance with listed substance restrictions and enforced obsolescence. Contact STI for additional information regarding our product stewardship strategy focused on continually providing products designed to minimize/eliminate public health and/or environmental risk, or visit our website at stifirestop.com.