We are committed to managing our products responsibly throughout the entire supply chain – from raw materials to product disposal. We create business value by offering safer alternatives and more sustainable solutions through our product stewardship programs.
For us, this entails:
We utilize a global monitoring system to stay informed of product-related regulatory developments, allowing us to advocate for and implement activities promptly. We support initiatives such as the Clean Industrial Deal to facilitate the aims of the European Green Deal, the European Deforestation Regulation, the European Union (EU) Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and the US Toxic Substances Control Act legislation, among others. We contribute to the development of chemical management legislation worldwide through our membership in industry associations.
Our commitment to safety extends beyond our products to include our customers and all stakeholders. In our QHSE&S Policy, we commit to advising our customers on the safe use and handling of our products. We provide comprehensive training on how to safely use and handle our products.
A standout feature of our Deventer Innovation Center is our premier safety testing laboratory. Here, we rigorously test our products and process for safety, not only in their use but also during transportation and handling. This state-of-the-art facility, combined with our expert-led training, ensures that our employees and customers are well-equipped to handle our products safely.
Hazard Assessment and Communication
We manage many distinct substances, including raw materials used in our production and samples for research and development and more than 2,700 unique products are distributed and utilized globally. In 2025, 74% of Nouryon’s revenue came from products containing substances or substances that are classified as Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Categories 1 and 2 Health and Environmental Hazards.
Our expertise lies in handling intricate and hazardous chemical reactions and managing highly reactive substances. We are committed to the safe use of all substances at our production sites. Our company-wide protocol is designed to ensure that every substance manufactured by or for Nouryon has undergone a hazard assessment. This assessment is based on test data related to physical chemistry, toxicity, environmental toxicity and environmental fate. Based on the outcomes, estimated or measured exposure risk assessments can be performed.
Our commitment to safety extends beyond our products to include our customers and relevant stakeholders. In our QHSE&S policy, we commit to advising and training our customers on the safe use and handling of our products. All information needed to create labels and SDSs is stored in a centralized global database. We continually update this database with new regulatory information. The system is used to generate labels and SDSs in accordance with each shipment's requirements, including the language and format specific to the destination country.
Nouryon is committed to avoiding vertebrate animal testing unless it is a legal requirement. We support the development of alternative testing methods that do not involve vertebrate animals and have implemented a policy to this commitment. When vertebrate animal testing is mandated, we adhere to the "3Rs" principle: Replace, Reduce and Refine animal testing.
Nouryon is dedicated to ensuring the safe use of our products in compliance with EU REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006). This regulation aims to enhance the protection of human health and the environment from potential risks associated with chemicals. REACH, which stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals, outlines procedures for gathering and assessing information on the properties and hazards of substances.
As part of our compliance with REACH, we conduct chemical hazard, exposure, and risk assessments, and communicate safe usage through extended safety data sheets (e-SDS). We require new suppliers within the European Economic Area to provide e-SDS documentation (along with other necessary data).
Nouryon supports the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) REACH Action Plan for Review/Improvement of Registration Dossiers. We are also actively engaged in new chemical REACH-like regulations and are conducting substance registrations in Taiwan, South Korea (K-REACH), Turkey (KKDIK) and Great Britain (UK-REACH).
At Nouryon, we have established a Priority Substance program to proactively identify and manage substances that require special attention. This global program includes a risk assessment like the methodology used in EU-REACH to determine safe usage of these substances. Management measures may involve substitution, restriction to certain uses, or providing specific and mandatory handling instructions.
To further ensure product safety, we provide 24/7 year-round service to offer immediate advice in local languages in the unlikely event of an emergency. We also offer interactive online customer training in 12 languages, covering the latest safety practices for handling some of our products, including the thermoset, cross-linking, organic peroxides, metal alkyls, and Expancel® expandable microsphere products. This training covers hazardous properties, proper storage techniques, and safe use. More information about Nouryon’s Safety Services can be found on our website.
Nouryon does not produce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Our products do not rely on GMOs for their functionality, nor do we use GMOs in our manufacturing processes to introduce variability. Certain raw materials we utilize, such as soybean oil and cotton linter cellulose, may originate from GMO crops before we incorporate them into our production.
Innovating Sustainable Alternatives
Nouryon has a proven history of developing alternatives to substances of concern to meet the evolving needs of our customers and regulatory requirements. In recent years, we have introduced safer substitutes for previous products, for example Elfan® AT84 and Redicote® E-47 NPF. We have also introduced a safer alternative for di-cyclo hexyl phthalate (DCHP).
In the cleaning market, we introduced innovative products such as the chelating agent, Dissolvine® GL and wetting agent AG 6206. Berol® 260 is part of Nouryon’s low dioxane portfolio, which also includes degreasers and cleaners from the Berol® and Ethylan® surfactant product lines. These products are manufactured using a process that minimizes the amount of the impurity in 1,4-dioxane. Products in our low-dioxane portfolio are listed in the CleanGredients database, thereby meeting the US Environmental Protection Agency Safer Choice standard.
Examples of Product Substitution
Not only does our innovative process lower environmental impact, but it also makes the formulation process more cost-effective for our customers. It offers the potential for optimizing raw material purchases, reducing inventories, and simplifying production. All products within our low dioxane portfolio are listed in the CleanGredients database, thereby meeting the US Environmental Protection Agency Safer Choice standard. These include:
a synergistic surfactant blend that optimizes cleaning and ensures easy handling
Berol 260 is used in metal cleaners for aircraft and vehicles, as well as cleaning in industrial and home settings.
high-performance degreasers
surfactants free from nonyl-phenol ethoxylate
Performance cleaner for outside usage, qualified for direct release into the environment
a low-foam, low-aquatic-toxicity primary surfactant degreaser
wetting agent and a product for home applications such as dishwashing
Elfan® AT84 is a sulfate-free surfactant that gently cleanses skin, providing a rich creamy foam even in hard water. It is used in a wide range of personal care products.
Redicote® E-47 NPF is a safer alternative to Nonyl Phenol-ethoxylates (NPE), which have been successfully phased out in the EU.
Dissolvine® GL is used in products such as dishwasher powders, cleaning products, bath products, cosmetics, hair care, and body treatments.
A safer alternative to Di-cyclo hexyl phthalate (DCHP) was developed for our organic peroxide curing agents used in composites and coatings.
In 2024, Nouryon further introduced Triameen® Y12D, launched in 2023, an antimicrobial active for advanced disinfection for the US cleaning market. In 2024, Nouryon's Boxing site has successfully completed the first production of Triameen® YT, an alkyl triamine product. Triameen® YT is widely used as chain lubricants in the cleaning industry and in epoxy coatings in the paints and coatings industry. This successful production ensures the persistent supply of this high-quality product to valued customers globally and secures growth opportunities for the paints and coatings business in North America.
We offer a new dispersing agent and emulsifier for industrial cleaning, hard-surface cleaning and adhesives. This ethoxylated fatty acid alcohol is a low foaming nonylphenol ethoxylate-free surfactant that has excellent wetting and dissolving properties at room temperature. It demonstrates outstanding detergency and solubility properties when formulated into multipurpose hard surface cleaners, heavy-duty degreasers, and textile treatment cleaning. The versatility of its application extends to all other cleaning applications that require alternatives to replace NP9/NP10 surfactants.
