Urethanes trade group worries about EU regulations

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (March 26)—The polyurethane industry must unite to face chemical regulations expected to be implemented in the European Union within the next two years. That was the message from Reinhard Leppkes, head of Elastogran GmbH, and president the European Isocyanates Producers Association, who gave the keynote address March 25 at the opening of the UTECH polyurethanes conference in the Hague. Leppkes said the regulations will affect small processors as well as major suppliers of chemicals to the urethanes industry. "The emerging EU regulations may require testing in end use applications for products to be continue to be used," he said. He called for companies to prepare risk assessment data on their products ahead of the regulations. "We have to seize the initiative, waiting for others is not an option," he said. Leppkes said the trade association is establishing data on the chemicals used in the urethanes industry in anticipation of the EU regulations, and plans to provide too much, rather than too little, data. "No data, no industry," he said.