Every so often a specification asks for a REACH or RoHS statement on protection board, and the request arrives after the order. It is a routine document that takes weeks to obtain if nobody planned for it – which is the whole problem, not the compliance itself.
What these statements are
A REACH statement confirms the product’s substances are registered and that no substance of very high concern above the threshold is present. A RoHS statement confirms the absence of the restricted substances it lists. Both are standard declarations for a polypropylene product, and neither is difficult for a supplier who has them organised.
Why they get asked for
Usually by a client’s sustainability or procurement team, sometimes by an operator, occasionally by a waste contractor who needs to know what they are handling. Very rarely because anyone thinks protection board contains anything problematic – it is a box-ticking exercise that has to be completed before the order is approved.
What to ask for, and when
The declaration, dated and on letterhead, with the product grade named. Ask with the quotation rather than with the order. That single change is the difference between a week and a month on projects where procurement has to clear the document before the purchase order is raised.
Recycled content changes the answer
A recycled-content or PCR grade of PP honeycomb panel needs its own declaration, because the input stream is less controlled than virgin polymer. Where recycled content is specified, ask for the statement against that grade specifically rather than assuming the virgin-grade document covers it. It usually does not.
What the documents do not tell you
Whether the product is suitable for a specific environment – a cleanroom, a food plant, a heritage collection store. Those need different statements about emissions, extractables or inertness. A REACH declaration is a starting point, not a suitability assessment.
What else procurement sometimes asks for
Modern slavery statements, conflict minerals declarations and a supplier code of conduct acknowledgement appear on some public sector and large corporate questionnaires. None are product documents and all take time to obtain from the right department. Ask procurement for the full list at the start of the enquiry rather than collecting them one at a time as each is rejected.
What the statement should actually say
A REACH statement and a RoHS statement answer different questions, and buyers often ask for one when they need the other. REACH is about substances of very high concern in articles placed on the EU market. RoHS is about restricted substances in electrical equipment, and it only applies to protection board if the board becomes part of a product that is itself in scope. For construction site protection, REACH is normally the relevant one.
A usable statement names the regulation, names the manufacturer, and says whether any substance on the current candidate list is present above 0.1% by weight. “Compliant” on its own is not a statement. Ask for a date and a signature as well, because the candidate list is updated twice a year and a statement from three years ago may no longer be accurate. Where recycled content is involved, the same documentation usually covers recycled content in protection panels specifiers ask about, since both questions arrive in the same submittal pack.
What we can do
We supply PP honeycomb protection board with REACH and RoHS statements available on request, and will send them with the quote where the project needs them. Tell us at enquiry which documents procurement will require, and we will include them rather than waiting to be asked twice.