IronmongeryDirect Issue Statement Regarding Hexavalent Chromium

We at IronmongeryDirect consider it our Corporate Responsibility to ensure we are protecting the environment and health and wellbeing of our staff and workers, with this in mind we have reviewed our manufacturing processes and identified that some of our manufacturing partners are still electro plating our products using chromium containing the chemical Cr(VI), this is very common throughout the industry globally.

Cr6 or Cr(VI)/Hexavalent Chrome is extremely toxic to humans mainly targeting the respiration tract causing ulcerations of the septum, bronchitis, Pneumonia, neurological & gastrointestinal effects, and other serious respiratory damage resulting in an increased risk of lung tumours, could result in death. Other ways of contamination could be from the dumping of waste into waters such as rivers, lakes or pond where people bath and/or drink water.

We see that there is a need to raise this serious matter and take leadership on this to ensure we are protecting our Electroplating industry from the known poisons and carcinogen’s, and with so many in our industry choosing to ignore it, we have already started to make changes.

IronmongeryDirect are currently working closely with our manufacturing partners to completely eliminate Cr(VI) from our supply chain, we will no longer add any Cr(VI) plated products to our ranges and will phase out our current ranges. In order for us to do this we are identifying alternative ways to plate our products that are safer and less environmentally damaging. These are tried and tested ways that have been in our industries for many years, including PVD plating, metallic powder coating, Cr(III) Chromium plating and the new technology Nano particle plating, we will do this without compromising quality and we do not anticipate any additional costs to the customer.

This process is going to take some time but we will regularly update IronmongeryDirect’s progress, this will include our next steps, actions taken and impact on our ranges. Please join us in fighting the eradication of the harmful Cr(VI) plating.

Source: Management Board – IronmongeryDirect

Contact our Direct Sourcing Team – chromeenquiries@ironmongerydirect.com

Access the IronmongeryDirect website here.