--- title: How can you be sure that the products you buy are not harmful to health or the environment? description: "Industrial product packaging displays a wide range of icons regarding the quality of products and their level of compliance with environmental or production standards. But which of these are officially recognised, and which can you really trust?\n\nThe REACH regulation can help solve this problem." image: https://www.inrs.fr/dms/inrs/img/dossiers/classification-etiquetage/9-pictogrammes-danger/9-pictogrammes-danger-mini.jpg --- - [Help](https://armor-owa.com/support) - [Become a reseller](https://armor-owa.com/become-a-reseller) - [Blog](https://blog.armor-owa.com/) - [Why choose OWA ?](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Discover the OWA advantages](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Save 30% on average](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/reduced-cost-per-page-printer) - [Benefit from certified quality](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-ink-cartridge) - [Reduce your environmental impact](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/eco-friendly-cartridge) - [Take advantage of OWA integrated services](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-cartridge-services) - Online services - [Armor Connect portal](https://www.armor-connect.com/) - [Revialis collection service](https://www.revialis-collect.com/) - [OWA collection service](https://www.owa-collect.com/) - EN - [FR](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/fr) - [NL](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/nl) - [IT](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/it) - [ES](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/es) - [DE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/de) - [SE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/se) [![Logo Owa Armor](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Armor_June2022_english/images/logo.svg "Logo Owa Armor")](https://fr.armor-owa.com/) - [My selection](https://armor-owa.com/whishlist) - [Where to buy](https://armor-owa.com/wheretobuy) - [Contact us](https://contact.armor-owa.com/contactus?hsLang=en-gb) - [My selection](https://armor-owa.com/whishlist) - [Where to buy](https://armor-owa.com/wheretobuy) - [Contact us](https://contact.armor-owa.com/contactus?hsLang=en-gb) - Menu - [CARTRIDGES](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges) - - Toner cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured toner range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/toner) - [All our products for laser printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-toner) - Copier cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured copier range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/copier) - [All our products for multifunctional photocopiers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-copier) - Ink cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured inkjet range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/ink-jet) - [Our products for consumer printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-consumer) - [Our products for professional printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-professional) - [Our plotter products](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - [Our products for franking machines](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-franking) - - OWA recycled cartridges offer printing quality and performance equivalent to OEM brands with a competitive price positioning and a lower ecological impact. Armor Print Solutions promotes the circular economy and the reuse of materials through the reuse of empty cartridges. Our consumables cover more than 90% of the printers in the installed base, whatever the application, individual or professional. - [PRINTING SOLUTIONS](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions) - - Wide format printing - [Why choose our remanufactured wide format range?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/large-format-printing) - [All our products for wide format printing](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - Printing with ink bottles for tank printer - [Why choose our range of refurbished ink bottles?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/ink-bottles) - [All our products for tank printers](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-ink-bottles) - Professional label printing - [Why choose our refurbished range for labelling?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/professional-labelling) - [All our products for professional label printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-professional-labelling) - 3D printing - [Why choose our remanufactured range of 3D filaments?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/responsible-3d-printing) - [All our products for 3D printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalogue-3d-filaments) - - Armor Print Solutions offers a wide range of professional printing solutions that combine technology and innovation, while ensuring controlled printing costs and a limited ecological footprint. With its compatible refurbished offer, OWA works for responsible printing even beyond office applications. - [RIBBONS & CASSETTES](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes) - - Laminated tapes - [Why choose our range of laminated tapes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/laminated-tapes) - [All our products for labelling](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-laminated-tapes) - Printer ribbons and cassettes - [Why choose our range of tapes and cassettes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/impact) - [All our products for impact printers and typewriters](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-impact) - - Armor's ribbons and cassettes provide precise, smudge-free printing for perfect legibility, whatever the type of printer or media. Its consumables offer both a quality comparable to the manufacturer's brands and a more competitive price positioning, to meet the expectations of demanding professionals. - [PRINTERS](https://armor-owa.com/refurbished-printers) - [ACCESSORIES & SPARE PARTS](https://armor-owa.com/accessories-spare-parts) - [MANAGED PRINT SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en) - - [Printers fleet management simplfied](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/management-printers-fleet) - [OWA Print Services : the printing solution for the SME businesses](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/printing-solution) - [Resellers : become an OWA Print Services partner](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/become-reseller) - - With its Managed Print Services (MPS) solution, Armor Print Solutions offers to free companies from the management of their printer fleets, with a triple benefit: the optimization and automation of the management tasks of existing printer fleets, rapid savings, and an eco-responsible solution. - [COLLECTION SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service) - - [Collecting cartridges for businesses](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/businesses) - [General-public collection service](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/general-public) - [Distributors : become a collection partner](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/distributors) - [OWA collection : how does it work?](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/free-collection-empty-cartridge) - [Pick-up requirements for your collection boxes](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/conditions-removal-cartons-collection) - [Complete traceability with your material report](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/materials-report-cartridge-recycling) - - As a supplier of refurbished printing consumables, Armor Print Solutions places the collection of empty cartridges at the center of its concerns. This is a key stage in the process of reusing cartridges and toners, which allows us to act in favor of waste reduction. OWA is therefore the first printing solution that gives 100% value to your collected laser cartridges to encourage both the circular economy and sustainable development. - [CARTRIDGES](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges) - Toner cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured toner range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/toner) - [All our products for laser printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-toner) - Copier cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured copier range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/copier) - [All our products for multifunctional photocopiers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-copier) - Ink cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured inkjet range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/ink-jet) - [Our products for consumer printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-consumer) - [Our products for professional printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-professional) - [Our plotter products](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - [Our products for franking machines](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-franking) - [PRINTING SOLUTIONS](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions) - Printing with ink bottles for tank printer - [Why choose our range of refurbished ink bottles?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/ink-bottles) - [All our products for tank printers](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-ink-bottles) - Professional label printing - [Why choose our refurbished range for labelling?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/professional-labelling) - [All our products for professional label printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-professional-labelling) - Wide format printing - [Why choose our remanufactured wide format range?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/large-format-printing) - [All our products for wide format printing](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - 3D printing - [Why choose our remanufactured range of 3D filaments?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/responsible-3d-printing) - [All our products for 3D printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalogue-3d-filaments) - [RIBBONS & CASSETTES](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes) - Laminated tapes - [Why choose our range of laminated tapes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/laminated-tapes) - [All our products for labelling](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-laminated-tapes) - Printer ribbons and cassettes - [Why choose our range of tapes and cassettes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/impact) - [All our products for impact printers and typewriters](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-impact) - [PRINTERS](https://armor-owa.com/refurbished-printers) - [ACCESSORIES & SPARE PARTS](https://armor-owa.com/accessories-spare-parts) - [MANAGED PRINT SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en) - - [Printers fleet management simplfied](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/management-printers-fleet) - [OWA Print Services : the printing solution for the SME businesses](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/printing-solution) - [Resellers : become an OWA Print Services partner](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/become-reseller) - [COLLECTION SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service) - - [Collecting cartridges for businesses](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/businesses) - [General-public collection service](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/general-public) - [Distributors : become a collection partner](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/distributors) - [OWA collection : how does it work?](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/free-collection-empty-cartridge) - [Pick-up requirements for your collection boxes](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/conditions-removal-cartons-collection) - [Complete traceability with your material report](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/materials-report-cartridge-recycling) - [Help](https://armor-owa.com/support) - [Become a reseller](https://armor-owa.com/become-a-reseller) - [Blog](https://blog.armor-owa.com/) - [Why choose OWA ?](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Discover the OWA advantages](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Save 30% on average](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/reduced-cost-per-page-printer) - [Benefit from certified quality](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-ink-cartridge) - [Reduce your environmental impact](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/eco-friendly-cartridge) - [Take advantage of OWA integrated services](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-cartridge-services) - [Online services](https://www.armor-connect.com/) - [EN](https://armor-owa.com) - [FR](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/fr) - [NL](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/nl) - [IT](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/it) - [ES](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/es) - [DE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/de) - [SE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/se) ![](https://www.inrs.fr/dms/inrs/img/dossiers/classification-etiquetage/9-pictogrammes-danger/9-pictogrammes-danger-mini.jpg) # How can you be sure that the products you buy are not harmful to health or the environment? Published by [Armor Print Solutions](https://blog.altkin-group.com/author/armor-print-solutions) on May 27, 2021 11:01:50 AM ![REACH - Obligations de déclaration des substances de la liste candidate. RESCOLL réalise les analyses nécessaires | RESCOLL](https://rescoll.fr/wp-content/uploads/Reach-compliant-logo.jpg) Industrial product packaging displays a wide range of icons regarding the quality of products and their level of compliance with environmental or production standards. But which of these are officially recognised, and which can you really trust? The REACH regulation can help solve this problem.   ## Definition: The EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) regulation   [The REACH](https://echa.europa.eu/fr/regulations/reach/understanding-reach) regulation came into force in 2007 in order to list and monitor chemical substances that are manufactured, imported and/or marketed within the European market. This regulation safeguards the manufacturing and use of chemical substances throughout European industry. Its scope includes public health, occupational health and the environment.  REACH has three main aims:  -To safeguard public health and the environment against the potential risks posed by chemical substances.  -To be transparent with regard to the nature and risks posed to users by suppliers’ toxic substances.  -To safeguard the handling of chemical substances by employees.    ## What is the CLP (Classification, Labelling, Packaging) directive? The CLP directive was introduced to ensure the REACH regulation was observed. Covering classification, labelling and packaging, the CLP is an EU regulation designed to verify that products containing chemicals are not harmful to public health or the environment. To do this, it requires that the labels and packaging of products subject to these regulations (medicinal products, cosmetics, food products, etc.) display warning icons regarding the risks of certain ingredients/manufacturing components.      ![Classification et étiquetage des produits chimiques. Comprendre les deux systèmes d'étiquetage des produits chimiques - Risques - INRS](https://www.inrs.fr/dms/inrs/img/dossiers/classification-etiquetage/9-pictogrammes-danger/9-pictogrammes-danger-mini.jpg)       *This is the list of valid icons within the CLP regulation. They can be found on the packaging of the products you purchase.*    A list of raw materials considered dangerous but which may be present in consumer products at very low threshold levels exists. If these threshold levels are exceeded, the products cannot be released for sale.   A second directive, known as the RoHS or lead-free directive, has been introduced to complement the REACH regulation.    ## What is the lead-free directive?    Since 1 July 2006, all electric or electronic products sold within the European Union must meet the requirements of the [RoHS](http://cableorganizer.fr/learning-center/article/qu-est-ce-que-la-directive-rohs.html) regulation (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment). The purpose of the RoHS directive is to limit the use of six dangerous substances in electric and electronic equipment. These six substances should only be present in amounts of up to 0.1% per unit of weight of uniform material.    - Lead, used in batteries, televisions and screens - Mercury, used in lamps and batteries - Cadmium, used in batteries, alarm systems and nuclear control rods - Hexavalent chromium, used in photography and paint - Polybrominated biphenyls, used in plastics - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, used in electrical goods   Unfortunately, many companies still do not respect these regulations... On 18 November 2019, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the results of a project focused on chemical substances. The agency revealed that of the 682 products provided to perform the experiment, 84 were not compliant with EU standards. This is extremely worrying given that these are mass-produced consumer goods, such as clothing, electrical or electronic goods, and even home decor products!    ## At Armor Print Solutions...   Safeguarding the environment and the health of our customers is our priority. As such, we regularly test our printer cartridges to ensure that they are compliant with EU regulations. In the case of printer cartridges, for example, we must ensure that the quantity of plastic materials used and the chemical substances contained in toner powder are below a specific threshold. We also remain alert to new developments, as new materials are regularly declared ‘harmful to health and the environment’. We must ensure that we are constantly up to date when choosing the components in our printer consumables. We systematically check that the suppliers and distributors with whom we work comply with the REACH and RoHS regulations to demonstrate that the products we use throughout our manufacturing chain are compliant and are not harmful to either health or the environment. An MSDS ([Material Safety Data Sheet](https://www.translinknet.be/translation/msds/definition.fr.html)) confirming the composition of materials is also provided to confirm our choice of components.    We have taken this approach even further by verifying volatile components during printer cartridge production in order to protect the staff in our factories and safeguard air quality at work.  To achieve this, we have taken steps to measure and limit employee exposure to production anomalies, such as pollutant trapping with sensor boxes, the ventilation of work premises and the provision of personal protective equipment.    [![Find out more about our refurbished products ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6183496/94c9ed07-d8d3-4dbd-90aa-1686035f7aa5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6183496/94c9ed07-d8d3-4dbd-90aa-1686035f7aa5) Tags: [Expert advices](https://blog.altkin-group.com/tag/expert-advices) [Back to Blog](https://blog.altkin-group.com) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## Related Articles ## [The refurbished market, a trend that is revolutionising the way we consume.](https://blog.altkin-group.com/the-refurbished-market-a-trend-that-is-revolutionising-the-way-we-consume?hsLang=en-gb) While manufacturers of new products often abuse programmed obsolescence, the market for... [Read More](https://blog.altkin-group.com/the-refurbished-market-a-trend-that-is-revolutionising-the-way-we-consume?hsLang=en-gb) ## [What happens to our printer cartridges?](https://blog.altkin-group.com/what-happens-to-printer-cartridges?hsLang=en-gb) [Read More](https://blog.altkin-group.com/what-happens-to-printer-cartridges?hsLang=en-gb) ## [Print cartridges: say no to “greenwashing”](https://blog.altkin-group.com/print-cartridges-greenwashing?hsLang=en-gb) Do you really know how your used cartridges are processed? Many companies nowadays feel they are... [Read More](https://blog.altkin-group.com/print-cartridges-greenwashing?hsLang=en-gb) - [BECOME A RESELLER](https://armor-owa.com/become-a-reseller) - [CONTACT US](https://contact.armor-owa.com/contactus?hsLang=en-gb) Subscribe To Newsletter NOUS SUIVRE - - - - ARMOR PRINT SOLUTIONS - [Our Commitments](https://armor-owa.com/circular-economy-waste-recovery-recycling) - [Labels & Awards](https://armor-owa.com/circular-economy-business) - [About ARMOR](https://armor-owa.com/social-innovation) - SUPPORT - [Support website](https://support-cartridge.com/en) - [FAQ](https://support-cartridge.com/en/faq) - ONLINE SERVICES - [Access our Collection Extranet](https://www.owa-collect.com/) - [Partner Portal](https://www.armor-connect.fr/) - NEWSROOM AND BLOG - [Press](https://blog.armor-owa.com/tag/press) - [Nouveautés produits](https://blog.armor-owa.com/tag/new-products) - [Expert Advice](https://blog.armor-owa.com/tag/expert-advices) - [Circular economy](https://blog.armor-owa.com/tag/circular-economy) - [Sitemap](https://armor-owa.com/sitemap) - [Personal Data](https://armor-owa.com/personal-data-protection-policy) - [Legal notices](https://armor-owa.com/legal-notices) ![Armor OWA](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Armor_June2022_english/images/armor_industry_for_people.png?width=202&name=armor_industry_for_people.png "Armor OWA") - Other ARMOR group sites - [Armor Group](http://www.armor-group.com/) - [Kimya](https://www.kimya.fr/fr/) - [Asca](https://www.asca.com/) - [Inkanto](https://fr.inkanto.com/) - [Armor Industrial inks](https://www.a-2-i.com/) - [Dyalog](https://www.mydyalog.com/)