If a material used in the Eco Audit Tool contains substances on the EU or US critical lists or the ChemSec SIN (Substitute It Now!) List, it is flagged in the Bill of Materials with a colored symbol to warn you that you need to either select a different material, or consider the implications of using this material in your product.
This indicator warns you if more than 5 wt% of a material contains elements on either the EU1 or US2 critical material lists. The material is flagged with an orange triangle ▲.
The critical lists are an assessment of the future supply risk of an element. The supply of an element is dependent on the availability of natural resources in the country of manufacture. This may vary as new reserves are found, or as political and regulatory circumstances change.
This warning may not be relevant for products with a small production run, or that are maintained only for a short period. However, it is valuable when making strategic material selection decisions for products with large production runs, or that have customer support for a long time.
To find more information about why a material has a warning, view the Composition overview on the material datasheet, and compare the elements listed with those on the critical material lists. To find alternative materials, use a limit stage to filter materials with low or no content of the identified critical elements, by filtering on the properties under the Composition detail header.
Although 5 wt% is an arbitrary limit, the warning encourages you to think about supply chain issues. Some supply risk problems will not be flagged up – in some materials, tiny amounts of an element are essential to create the desired microstructure and material properties.
The level 1 and 2 databases contain a record for each material family, such as Cast Al-alloys, that summarize the properties of the alloys within it. These records are flagged with a warning if there are critical elements typically used within the equivalent level 3 records from that material family.
This indicator warns you if a material contains substances on the Substitute It Now! (SIN) List.
The SIN List is developed by ChemSec, to assist the phase-out of products and processes that are potentially damaging to health or the environment. It uses the same criteria as the EU REACH3 regulation on restricted substances.
Depending on the level of restrictions, products may be made using restricted substances. However, producers should be aware of the potential administration, health and safety, and waste management costs when using restricted materials.
In GRANTA EduPack, there are two levels of warning provided:
The SIN List risk indicator is accurate at the time of the software release. However, as this list is updated on a continuous basis, caution should be used in relying solely on this information.
In addition, materials may contain substances restricted by regulations and legislations that are not included in this indicator.
SIN List substances used as pigments in materials are not included in this indicator. For example: lead chromate (CAS 7758-97-6), lead chromate molybdate sulfate red (CAS 12656-85-8), and lead sulfochromate yellow (CAS 1344-37-2) are not taken into account in the indicator value, unless they are present in the material for a function other than as a pigment.
Meeting legislative requirements for restricted substances is the sole responsibility of users.
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