The formaldehyde issue

Formaldehyde is a biological compound generally occurring in nature: it is naturally produced by all living organisms. It is present in many different foodstuffs (apples contain up to 20 mg/kg, lobsters up to 100 mg/kg).

Formaldehyde is also naturally released by vegetation (the forests of our planet globally release up to 10 million tons per year). Less than 1% of total emissions derive from industrialization.

Since it is a natural phenomenon, formaldehyde cannot be completely removed, and January 2016 saw the introduction of a series of rules concerning the labeling of products containing formaldehyde based on its concentration; the lowest detectable level for which formaldehyde is not considered dangerous, and there is no need to point it out on the label is 0.1% (1000 ppm).

Thanks to the profound expertise of our formulation and R&D teams, we have managed to develop products with a level of formaldehyde less than 20 ppm: a value 50 times lower than the value prescribed.

All our products for textile applications grant no residual formaldehyde on treated fabrics/garments when applied:

• for the dyeing process, we developed zero add-on naphtalensulfonate dispersing agents and cationic fixing agents for reactive and direct dyestuff based on no-formaldehyde chemistry

• For the finishing process, we developed hand modifiers based on acrylic binders based on a new generation of no-formaldehyde crosslinking monomers

The extra low formaldehyde content of our superplasticizers grants their safe application in civil construction. These superplasticizers, Flube, are naphthalene sulfonated polymers that increase the mechanical strength and workability of the substrates allowing reduced use of water (up to 20%) and energy.