Certifications & Approvals

Certifications & Approvals

Summary Food contact approvals. RoHS and WEEE European directives. UL/CSA. Packaging regulations. Other regulations. Where to find the ARMOR certificates.

Certifications & Approvals Food contact approvals

Food contact approvals Different definitions are needed to understand the field of food contact approvals: Direct contact : Materials in intimate contact or touching the food. Indirect contact : Materials that might come in contact with food, such as the outside of bags, boxes or cartons. Direct food additives : Edible materials intended to become part of food product including items such as preservatives, flavours, gums and colorants. Indirect food additives : Materials in the packaging, processing, holding or transporting of food that have no functional effect in the food but that may reasonably be expected to become components of food or to affect its characteristics.

Food contact approvals ARMOR is submitting its ribbons to independent laboratories for certification. According to the area, different regulations are applied. In the USA: FDA. In Europe: BGA, 1935/2004/EC. Local regulations in other areas.

Food contact approvals In the USA : FDA: Food and Drug Administration. No specific FDA regulation on labelling and packaging printing or overprinting. regulation applied by default: Part 175 (indirect food additives) of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) when an indirect food contact approval is required. Direct food contact approvals need submission of whole application, not only ink. ARMOR ribbons approved on CFR 175.105, means ribbons are indirect food contact approved, can be used for outer printing of food packaging materials. Ink may also come into direct contact with dry, non-fatty foodstuffs.

Food contact approvals In Europe: BGA Before 2005, lack of unified European regulation. ARMOR used to submit ribbons to BGA (Bundesgesundheitamt) approval. German law more or less accepted on a worldwide scale as recognized as very demanding. Imposes rules on the handling of foodstuffs, tobacco products, cosmetics products and other consumer goods (Foodstuffs and Consumer Goods Act). BGA certificate guarantees ink can be used for printing labels which are used for labelling foodstuffs and may stand in direct contact with dry, moist, and fatty foodstuffs.

Food contact approvals In Europe: 1935/2004/EC Since 2005, EU sets 1935/2004/EC directive, amending 80/590/EEC and 89/109/EEC on materials intended to enter in contact with foodstuffs. Harmonisation at EU level fulfils two essential goals: protection of the health of the consumer, removal of technical barriers to trade. Regulation shall apply to materials and articles which: (a) are intended to be brought into contact with food; or (b) are already brought into contact with food and are intended for that purpose; or (c) can reasonably be expected to be brought into contact with food (c) case applies to ARMOR ribbons.

Food contact approvals In Europe: 1935/2004/EC 1935/2004/EC states that food contact materials: shall be safe, shall not transfer components into food in quantities that could endanger human health, change composition of food in unacceptable way deteriorate taste and odour of foodstuffs. Regulation establishes 17 groups of materials and articles. Printing inks among these 17. Regulation lays down procedure for authorisation of substances to be used in food contact materials and articles. Procedure includes evaluations of European Food Safety Authority, and opinion of Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH). Approved materials are only made with these authorized substances.

Certifications & Approvals RoHS & WEEE

RoHS & WEEE Definitions: RoHS: European directive 2002/95/EC setting Restrictions of Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipments. WEEE: European directive 2002/96/EC on the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipments. EEE means equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly and equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents and fields falling under the categories set out in Annex IA to Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE) and designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1 000 volts for alternating current and 1 500 volts for direct current.

RoHS & WEEE Definitions: Annex IA, categories of electrical and electronic equipment covered by Directive 2002/96/EC 1. Large household appliances 2. Small household appliances 3. IT and telecommunications equipment 4. Consumer equipment 5. Lighting equipment 6. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools) 7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment 8. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products) 9. Monitoring and control instruments 10. Automatic dispensers

RoHS & WEEE Both regulations are restricting the use of the same materials: Heavy metals: Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Hexavalent Chromium (Cr VI). Flame retardants: PolyBrominated Biphenyls (PBB), PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE).

RoHS & WEEE Following these definitions: Both directives are linked. If a product complies to RoHS, it complies to WEEE when wasted. Thermal Transfer ribbons are not concerned by these directives as they are not EEE. Packaging, cores, films are not subjected to respect RoHS and WEEE. Labels identifying the EEE may be concerned as part of the equipment. Thus only the ink of TT ribbons should respect the directives.

RoHS & WEEE ARMOR inks: All ARMOR TT inks complies to RoHS and WEEE. Heavy metals and flame retardants are not entering our ink formulations. Traces coming from raw materials can be found at very little amounts, tolerated by the directives. We have made our ribbons analysed by Bureau Veritas. Report states that analysed ribbons comply to RoHS.

Certifications & Approvals UL / CSA

UL / CSA UL: Underwriters Laboratories. CSA: Canadian Standard Association.

UL / CSA In the labelling field, both UL and CSA are certifying the legibility and the durability of a printed label. Certification is given on a label/ribbon combination for UL, a label/ribbon/printer combination for CSA. There is no equivalence between UL and CSA. A ribbon itself can not be approved, it can not be dissociated from the label. Only label manufacturers can apply for the certifications. Check on 2go2 how to obtain the list of approved materials with ARMOR ribbons.

Certifications & Approvals Packaging regulations

Packaging regulations 2 aspects to consider: The packaging of ARMOR TT rolls: shrink film, labels, boxes, pallets, etc TT inks as components of packaging: printed labels or packaging overprinting.

Packaging regulations ARMOR refers to the European directive 1994/62/EC and its French adaptation, decree 98-638. Regulations are meant for environmental protection. Consist in: Prevention by reducing packaging. Ensuring re-use (if appropriate). Satisfying to at least one of: Re-use of materials. Recycling for energy production. Recycling by composting or biodegradation. Declaration of dangerous substances minimisation (if appropriate). Declaration that heavy metals regulatory limits have been obeyed.

Packaging regulations Packaging of ARMOR TT rolls are in total conformity with regulations as: Prevention by reducing packaging. Ensuring re-use (if appropriate). Satisfying to at least one of: Re-use of materials. Recycling for energy production. Recycling by composting or biodegradation. Declaration of dangerous substances minimisation (if appropriate). Declaration that heavy metals regulatory limits have been obeyed.! OK Not appropriate! OK! OK Not appropriate! OK

Packaging regulations ARMOR TT inks used to print packaging labels or overprinted on packaging do not prevent packaging to respect regulations. Thus ARMOR TT ribbons can be used for packaging identification in respect with European regulations.

Certifications & Approvals Other regulations

Other regulations Most regulations are limiting use of heavy metals or derivatives and of some other hazardous substances. As such substances are not entering the composition of our rolls, they comply to many regulations. When you need to know about the compliance of ARMOR ribbons to a given regulation, contact your ARMOR representative with the exact text.

Certifications & Approvals Where to find the certificates?

Where to find the certificates? Food contact approvals. In 2go2, on the product datasheets. RoHS and WEEE European directives. In 2go2, in the Approvals section and in the heavy metals report on the product datasheet and on the homepage. UL/CSA. Paper certificates only belong to the label manufacturers. On 2go2, you have explanations on how to look for an approved label/ribbon on the UL or CSA websites. Other regulations. Check in 2go2. If you don t find in 2go2, contact your usual ARMOR representative.

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