Chrome VI limits called into question

Dr Kerry Senior, Director, Leather UK.

Published in World Leather, October-November, 2020

AFIRM, a group of brands in the apparel, footwear and sporting goods industries, has said it is hard to see how any tightening of the allowable limits of chrome VI in leather can be approved. Further, the group believes the validity of the current limit is open to question.

IIn 2018, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) launched a consultation process on the inclusion or amendment of regulation for skin sensitising chemicals under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations. Included in the consultation was a proposal that the limit from Chromium VI (Cr (VI)) in leather articles, should be reduced to 1 mg/kg. The consultation has been considered by two ECHA committees, the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) and their opinions published for comment by stakeholders.

Many respondents, including leather manufacturers, chemical companies and trade associations, correctly noted that the limit of detection for existing analytical techniques for Cr(VI) is 3 mg/kg and, in the absence of a more sensitive procedure, the new proposed limit was unenforceable. However, included in the responses was the more startling suggestion that the current limit did not need to be reduced, because it was already unnecessarily stringent.