Silicone based leather chemicals from LANXESS are harmless

·	Cyclosiloxane impurities well below SVHC limit
·	LANXESS products for leather manufacture are economical, sustainable and safe 

Cologne – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS supports the leather industry in reconciling economic interests, ecological compatibility and consumer benefits. This is why the company has been consistently focusing its leather production portfolio on sustainability for years. Products from the LANXESS Leather (LEA) business unit also ensure concentrations well below the specified limit with regard to the latest restriction by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on cyclic siloxane compounds.

Some of silicone based products marketed by LANXESS for the manufacture of leather contain trace amounts of cyclosiloxanes as unavoidable raw material residue in the manufacture of leather chemicals. Dr. Martin Kleban, HSEQ representative at LEA, explains: “Given the maximum concentration in the chemical formulation and the amount of product applied in leather manufacture, it is highly unlikely that the reporting threshold of 0,1 percent (w/w) of cyclosiloxane in leather will be exceeded if the chemical formulation is used according to our recommendation.” 

In June 2018, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) included the chemicals D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane), D5 (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) and D6 (dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane) to the EU REACH Candidate List for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). The notification requirement for substances, mixtures or articles containing D4, D5 or D6 has been set at a concentration of 0.1 percent (w/w).

“In many cases, silicone based products contain unavoidable amounts of D4, D5 and D6, and these substances are not intended components of the product,” Kleban continues. “In our opinion, polymer silicones can be used safely, if they are used as intended. Furthermore, in our experience, they represent an economical, sustainable and safe chemical product class. After all, we want to offer our customers safe, high-quality products.”

Detailed information on LANXESS products, technologies and services for the leather industry along the entire value chain can be found at www.leather.lanxess.com.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 73 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

Cologne, 	November 19, 2018
mfg		(2018-00090e)

Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.

Information for editors:
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