The European aerospace industry is facing the prospect of new chemicals regulations forcing key parts of the supply chain outside the continent if the sector’s unique requirements are not taken into account by lawmakers, industry associations are warning.
A crucial vote was expected in the European Parliament on the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (REACH) late last week.
The new regulations will extend existing rules covering chemicals, allowing the European Commission’s technical committee to ban substances more easily.
The UK Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) has raised concern that specific challenges facing the aerospace sector, such as rigorous certification and long lead times, have not been taken into account.
The worst-case scenario is if niche chemicals are banned, leading to processes requiring their use being transferred to other countries.
“As an example, if Rhenium, a chemical used to make alloys used in engine manufacture, were to be banned, then engines made in Europe would be less efficient. Aircraft manufacturers would then prefer to buy the engine from manufacturers outside the scope of the ban,” the society says.
No list of banned substances has been published and there is no suggestion that Rhenium would be banned, the SBAC stresses.
The SBAC, along with other national industry associations, has lobbied members of the European Parliament in an attempt to put a process in place to define phase-out periods and find substitutions for outlawed substances.
“We do not know what substances will be banned, unlike in the past when we could debate and get exemptions, so we need a process in place,” the SBAC says.
The EC recently wrote an exemption for certain fluids used in avionics into its restriction on the use of  hazardous substances in an electrical equipment directive, after industry lobbying highlighted that there were no permitted alternatives certificatable for flight conditions (Flight International, 26 July–1 August).
The office of John Bowis, the European Parliament’s environment committee spokesman, says that the views of the aerospace sector are being taken into account, although the assembly cannot change the law, only suggest amendments to the Commission, as chemicals fall within the EC’s exclusive area of powers.

JUSTIN WASTNAGE/LONDON

Source: Flight International