By challenging conventional methods and doing the opposite of everyone else, we created a powerful tool for chemical safety. This is the story of how we achieved what was said to be impossible: taking control of the chemicals market and ensuring that safer substances are used in the IT products we certify.
The chemical industry is known for its secrecy, making it difficult to identify and control substances that pose risks to human health and the environment. For many years, lobbyists have claimed that full transparency is unrealistic and that viable safer alternatives do not exist. They argue that it is impossible to regulate chemicals in a manner that ensures only safer options are used. But we have proven otherwise.
In 1995, we took a leadership role in promoting safer chemistry on a broad scale by establishing criteria that go beyond existing legislation and individual product-level initiatives, taking a more holistic approach to chemical safety. To begin with, our approach was similar to that of others: we banned substances once they were proven to be hazardous. However, we soon realized that this was an endless game of cat and mouse that we couldn’t win. With more than 350,000 substances available on the market, the number of tested substances would always be outnumbered by those that have not been tested. Additionally, we observed that banned substances were often replaced by others that were equally dangerous, or even worse, but were still approved because their harmful properties had not yet been proven.
A bold strategy for chemical safety
It was clear that we had to find another way. We made a bold decision to implement an entirely new strategy for chemical management. Instead of simply banning substances known to be hazardous, we decided to classify all non-assessed substances as high risk until proven otherwise. As a result, TCO Certified Accepted Substance List was formed in 2015.
With this strategy, information about each substance is collected and evaluated by an independent toxicologist. If a substance is proven to be a safer choice for human health and the environment, it is added to TCO Certified Accepted Substance List and can be used in the manufacturing of certified products. If not, it is excluded from our list and banned from production lines with certified products.
This innovative approach shifts the burden of proof. Regardless of how many chemicals or chemical mixtures the industry creates, they cannot be used unless they are assessed by independent toxicologists and proven to be safer options. It also ensures a new level of transparency from the chemical industry’s side. For a substance to get approved, chemical manufacturers must share both public and confidential information with our verifiers. If they fail to do so, the substance will not get on the approved list, which means it can’t be used in the manufacturing of certified products. Consequently, the chemical manufacturer lose business to other, more sustainable options.
TCO Certified’s five keys to success
- We view all substances as a risk until proven otherwise.
- Risks are always assessed by an independent toxicologist.
- Chemical manufacturers must share confidential information.
- Our positive list makes chemical safety a business incentive.
- The list is public and enables safer practices in all industries.
IT brands and buyers made the shift possible
At first, our push for transparency was met with resistance. Chemical manufacturers were reluctant to share data, viewing ingredient and hazard information as confidential business secrets. However, this attitude shifted when a joint collective of IT brands recognized the value of having a shared list of safer alternatives and started insisting on cooperation from their chemical suppliers.
By opting for safer substances, IT brands understood they could minimize the risk of costly product recalls, prevent disruptions caused by future regulatory bans, and demonstrate sustainability leadership. IT purchasers also welcomed our accepted list approach, as it provided them with a reliable resource for making safer choices. The demand from these key stakeholder groups pressured chemical suppliers to disclose information, knowing that failing to do so would result in their products being excluded from use.
Incentivizing transparency and creating business advantages for safer chemistry have made this significant shift possible. Together with IT brands and buyers, we have shown that we can proactively control hazardous substances and, more importantly, guide the industry toward safer alternatives.
Improving safety in products and production
The first category to be included on TCO Certified Accepted Substance List was flame retardants, a critical category as it is used in most IT products, and the hazard level is often high. Since then, we have expanded the scope to cover additional chemical groups with significant impacts on health and the environment.
- In 2018, plasticizers were added after research showed that hazardous replacements were being introduced following new restrictions included in the EU directive RoHS.
- In 2021, process chemicals used in IT manufacturing were included, following findings that carcinogenic solvents like benzene and n-hexane were still used in factories, particularly in regions with weaker chemical regulations.
- In 2024, we included stabilizers after identifying that lead-based stabilizers were still used in plastics.
Our research continues to reveal the scale of chemical risks in IT manufacturing. In the development of the latest generation of TCO Certified, our studies on chemical additives in power and signal cables demonstrated a pressing need for action. We identified 20 common flame retardant additives used in cables supplied with IT products.
- Eight of them have been tested and confirmed as safer alternatives. (Seven are on TCO Certified Accepted Substance List.)
- Nine are known to be highly hazardous and should be avoided.
- The rest remain unassessed, meaning their hazard levels are unknown.
Chemical stabilizers were investigated, revealing that lead-based stabilizers were still being used, despite their well-documented toxicity. This category has now been added to TCO Certified Accepted Substance List, with eight safer alternatives currently listed.
Making sure safer choices are used
Our continued research into product and production chemicals led to a surprising finding: even when safer alternatives exist, many IT manufacturers continue using hazardous substances unless they are required to switch. Manufacturers often stick with hazardous alternatives simply because they are the cheapest, most convenient option and have long been proven for electrical safety standards. However, that doesn’t mean they are the only viable alternative. By requiring the use of safer additives, we are closing the gap between what is possible and what is actually done.
Lobbyists will say our list is too limited and cannot be broadly applied to other products. But even though the number of listed alternatives is small, they provide over 90% of the viable possibilities for the relevant applications (enclosures, printed circuit boards and cables), ensuring that safer choices are both practical and widely applicable.
TCO Certified Accepted Substance List is public and available for anyone to see, meaning it can be used to drive the use of safer substances across all industries. For example, some U.S. states have managed to restrict harmful flame retardants, referring to the list to point out safer options. By continuously expanding TCO Certified Accepted Substance List we are setting a new benchmark for chemical safety, not just for IT products, but for society at large.
Listen to our chemicals expert, Stephen Fuller, as he explains how TCO Certified helps you avoid the risks of hazardous substances in the IT supply chain.
