In order to provide for the harmonization of responsibly managing process chemicals that are prioritized for elimination, substitution or, where neither are possible due to technical and/or economic barriers, engineering controls, the RBA established an Industry Focus Process Chemicals (IFPC) Policy in 2021. The full IFPC Policy is available to RBA members here.
The IFPC Policy went into effect on January 1, 2022, and is operationalized through inclusion in the Validated Assessment Program (VAP) and the Specialty Validated Assessment Program (SVAP) on Chemical Management.
For the purpose of the RBA’s IFPC Policy, process chemicals include chemicals (individual chemicals or mixtures) used during the manufacture of a product and/or maintenance of related production equipment that are not intentionally fully incorporated into the product. RBA members can view this video, which provides an overview of the purpose and implementation of the IFPC, and the related presentation slides here. This “At a Glance” memo provides more information for members on the application and scope of the IFPC Policy, which is also available in Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Malay, and Thai.
Process chemicals that contain ingredients from the IFPC List should be prioritized for more advanced, permanent, and protective levels of control in accordance with the hierarchy of controls. Applying lower levels of the hierarchy of controls is discouraged and should only be applied in temporary situations until higher levels of the hierarchy of controls can be applied. The RBA, with approval from its Board of Directors, will maintain the IFPC List with consideration of input from stakeholders such as the Clean Electronics Production Network (CEPN).
RBA Members and their suppliers can access additional information and resources on RBA’s IFPC through the IFPC Information Portal in the RBA E-Learning Academy. Access to the RBA E-Learning Academy is free for all RBA members and their suppliers. Contact your company’s RBA primary contact or training@responsiblebusiness.org to register for an account if you do not have one.
Resources in the IFPC Information Portal include:
- RBA’s Industry Focus Process Chemical (IFPC) Policy
- RBA’s Process Chemical Management Guide
- RBA’s Process Chemical Management & Safety Learning Plan
- CEPN’s Process Chemical Data Collection (PCDC) Tool
- CEPN’s Qualitative Exposure Assessment (QEA) toolkit
- CEPN's Alternative Assessment Guide and list of resources for safer alternatives.
These resources are also available in Chinese through the RBA's Mandarin IFPC Information Portal.
这些资源也可以通过普通话 IFPC 信息门户以中文形式提供。
