Ensuring Product and Chemical Substance Safety
Management of Chemical Substances in Products
Management of Chemical Substances in Products
Konica Minolta manufactures and sells office equipment such as digital MFPs and printers, industrial printers, and chemical products such as toner and ink, which are consumables for the aforementioned products, as well as medical devices, measuring instruments, optical components, and performance materials. As chemical substances regulations for products have been tightened around the world, the Group has not only ensured its compliance with the law but also has established internal standards that ensure the environmental performance and safety of products, thereby practicing the appropriate management of chemical substances so that it can grow its business in these diverse products globally.
Compliance with the RoHS Directive*1
Since the European RoHS Directive, which restricts the amount of specified hazardous substances that can be contained in products, came into effect in 2006, voices calling for compliance with the directive have spread to regions other than Europe. The scope of the directive has also been expanded step by step, with medical devices and control and monitoring devices becoming subject to the directive in 2014.
Konica Minolta has managed chemical substances based on the RoHS Directive since the directive first came into effect. In 2011, with the revisions made to the Directive, the Group reviewed its system for the management of chemical substances and made a declaration of conformity with the revised standards.
The RoHS Directive has become stricter due to revisions such as the addition of specific phthalates (2019) to restricted substances and the expiry of exemptions. Konica Minolta has already complied with the changes and will continue to grasp the trend of upcoming revisions accurately and take systematic steps to remain in compliance.
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- RoHS Directive: A directive relating to restrictions on the use of specified hazardous substances contained in electrical and electronic devices
Compliance with REACH Regulations*2
European REACH regulations are comprehensive regulations on the management of chemical substances covering registration, evaluation, authorization, and restrictions when using any chemical substances, whether existing or new. The regulations apply to chemical substances included not only in chemical goods, but also various articles (e.g., devices and molded items). Since coming into effect in 2007, they have been put into force in a phased manner.
Konica Minolta systematically registered substances that only have preliminary registration as chemical goods in order to comply with the regulations. Then, it completed registration by the end of the registration period on May 31, 2018. With respect to articles, the company carefully monitors the authorization candidate substances (substances of very high concern [SVHC]) that are periodically added and investigates matters concerning their use as part of the Group’s green procurement surveys. The Group properly manages information for articles containing more than 0.1% of a substance and has also been registering SVHC content information in a public database since January 2021.
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- REACH regulations: Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals
Compliance with IEC 62474
Based on the regulated substances and substance groups that are included in the Declarable Substance List (DSL) of IEC 62474 (Material Declaration for Products of and for the Electrotechnical Industry) created by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Konica Minolta has establisihed standards for prohibited and monitored substances used in its equipment products, and fulfills its compliance obligations with regard to the regulations of each country. Though IEC 62474 contains many substances that are not regulated by law, Konica Minolta is systematically working to eliminate these.
Response to Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Up until now, the TSCA* in the United States governed chemical products, but, starting in 2021, it will also be applied in stages to chemical substances included in articles (equipment, molded products, etc.), in addition to chemical products. Konica Minolta systematically complies with this regulation.
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- The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a US law intended to control the harmful chemical substances under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and prevent risks to people’s health and the environment.
