BASF Plasticizers Achieve Rigorous SAFER™ Designation

Five BASF plasticizers have met ChemFORWARD’s rigorous evaluation of human health and environmental criteria for preferred alternatives through the organization’s SAFER™ program. This includes polymeric plasticizers Palamoll® 652, 654, and 656 as well as the important alternative non-ortho-phthalate plasticizers Hexamoll® DINCH and Palatinol® DOTP. The purpose of the SAFER™ program is to ensure human and environmental safety, to build trust throughout the supply chain with third-party verified transparency, and to help suppliers stay ahead of regulations.

Patrick Harmon, Industry Manager at BASF, provides context for this pursuit, “The ChemFORWARD database for chemical hazard assessments is an important and helpful way for formulators and other stakeholders to identify ingredients with a lower hazard profile. We believe the new ChemFORWARD SAFER program is a great enhancement in the marketplace. A certification of our products by trade name helps us to distinguish our offering from others.”

Uncovering, assessing, and verifying safer alternatives is core to ChemFORWARD’s mission. To be designated as SAFER, all intentionally added chemicals and those present at or above 100 ppm have been disclosed and assessed by a qualified toxicology firm against ChemFORWARD’s comprehensive hazard methodology. In 2019, as one of ChemFORWARD’s original pilot projects, BASF commissioned the assessment of four plasticizers with an approved third-party assessor to populate the shared repository of safer alternatives. Three more chemical hazard assessments (CHA) were added this year for a total of seven CHA contributions. Moving beyond generic single chemical data to trade name data is the next step in transparency and accelerating supply chain adoption of safer alternatives.

“The industry needs a trade name approach to assessing chemicals. A trade name ties a chemical product to a specific producer and can provide greater transparency to make it easier for everyone to use assessment information throughout the value chain.” explained Adrian Beard, Marketing Manager at Clariant, who’s flame retardants achieved the SAFER designation earlier this year.

High-level records for all SAFER materials are publicly available on ChemFORWARD’s website. Detailed assessment records are housed on ChemFORWARD’s Chemical Optimization Platform available by subscription or, for a limited time, free through the Plastic Additives Optimization Tool.

“Now, chemical suppliers have the option to market their safer alternatives and to validate their low hazard claims through an independent, trusted platform. In this way, we create a bridge between chemical suppliers, their customers and prospective customers with data that has been traditionally hard to come by, difficult to interpret and sometimes hard to trust,” shared Stacy Glass, Executive Director of ChemFORWARD.

How to incorporate these safer alternatives in your work

Palatinol® DOTP (Di-2-ethylhexyl Terephthalate):

• Alternative to ortho-phthalate plasticizers.

• Suitable for a wide range of applications including toys, food contact materials, flooring, wall covering, and medical devices.

• Listed in CleanGredients, based on U.S. EPA Safer Choice criteria.

• Low toxicity enables recycling and circularity and broad food contact clearances.

Hexamoll® DINCH

• Alternative to ortho-phthalate plasticizers.

• Suitable for a wide range of applications including toys, food contact materials, flooring, wall

• covering, and medical devices.

• Low toxicity enables recycling and circularity and broad food contact clearances.

BASF Palamoll® 652, 654, and 656 (North America):

• Used in applications that require extremely low migration and permanence.

• Customers require these specialty plasticizers to meet demanding technical requirements.

• Several manufacturers offer similar types of products; however, the chemistries of the various materials are somewhat different depending on the dicarboxylic acids and polyols used as raw materials.

• ChemFORWARD SAFER designation confirms their low hazard in addition to the excellent performance properties.

Learn more about BASF’s Plasticizer Portfolio here.

To learn more about ChemFORWARD’s SAFER program, contact info@chemforward.org or visit www.chemforward.org.