Reducing the overall use of chemicals in our products is important to Clariant. We are continuously striving to improve the sustainability of our products, including our Humidity Indicator Cards (HICs).

What is the concern about halogens? Why is there an industry push for halogen-free products?

The term “halogen” describes a group of five elements on the periodic table: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At). All are toxic to some degree, but two of these elements — bromine and chlorine — are the most commonly used. Therefore, they are the focus of most concern to companies who use humidity indicator cards in packaging for moisture-sensitive electronic devices, components, and circuit boards. Here’s why.

Chlorine and bromine have been the principal elements in two types of flame retardants added to plastics used as substrates, laminates and insulating materials in printed circuit boards for electronic devices. As the name implies, flame retardants have made circuit boards and electronic devices much less likely to ignite and therefore much safer to use. Flame retardancy standards for plastics are detailed in a series of global product-safety standards, including UL 94; IEC 60607, 60695-11-10 and 60695-11-20; and ISO 9772 and 9773.

Concern about the presence of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) has risen largely because of how electronic devices (e.g., old computers, cell phones, TVs) are disposed of or recycled. The goal of electronics recycling is, of course, to recover valuable materials, mainly metals. However, improper and unregulated recycling methods — the kind most likely to be used in poorer countries where electronic trash is recycled for profit — can release trace halogens that are known to cause health problems. For example:

In response to these environmental concerns, the electronics industry has adopted very strong policies to reduce or eliminate the use of halogens. Industry standards bodies like the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Japan Printed Circuit Association (JPCA) have supported these policies by developing standards that define “low-halogen” and “halogen-free” products. Industry concern about halogens is so intense that many companies are demanding that even supplies and packaging that are not part of the finished electronic product meet the same stringent halogen-related standards.

Why are halogen-free humidity indicator cards important?

Humidity indicator cards are small cards that indicate whether a moisture-sensitive electronic component has been exposed to a harmful level of moisture. Humidity indicator cards, together with desiccant packets, are sealed with moisture-sensitive surface mount devices (SMDs) inside “dry packs” that protect SMDs from the time they are made until they are actually installed into a larger electronic device as part of the device manufacturing process. The use of humidity indicator cards as part of protective packaging is a well-defined industry standard.