What is a UN approval?

Some packaging in our range has a UN approval and is therefore suitable as packaging for hazardous materials. In this knowledge article you can learn more about UN approvals.

United Nations

Packaging for the transport of dangerous goods must be certified. For this purpose, there are regulations laid down by the United Nations (UN). The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is responsible for setting and regulating these standards. UN certification is part of a uniform system for the classification, packaging, marking and labeling of hazardous materials to ensure safe transport. The national and international transport of hazardous goods by road, rail, water and air is governed without exception by this system of ADR, GHS and UN specifications.

Testing

In order to obtain UN certification, a package is first tested. This involves, among other things, drop tests to prove that the packaging is suitable for the transport of dangerous goods. The tests take place under specific conditions.

Test mark

After UN approval or certification, the mark is embossed on the packaging in the form of an indelible number. A UN test mark looks like this, for example:

UN indicates that there is a United Nations approval for hazardous substances.

3H1 denotes the type of packaging, in this case a plastic canister with non-removable lid. 1H2 stands for drum with removable lid.

The letters X, Y or Z indicate in which packing group (hazard group) the package was tested:

X = Packing group I (high hazard)

Y = Packing group II (medium hazard)

Z = Packing group III (low hazard)

If packaging has been tested for high hazard substances, it may also contain medium or low hazard substances. The following therefore applies to the contents of the packaging:

X = suitable for substances of packing group I, II and III

Y = suitable for substances of packing group II and III

Z = suitable for substances of packing group III

1.9 indicates the maximum specific gravity of the liquid to be packed. In the case of solids, the number indicates the maximum permissible gross weight (in kg) of the packaging including contents. In the example, this is therefore 81 kg.

200 stands for the maximum hydrostatic pressure (internal pressure) that the packaging can withstand for liquids, expressed in kilopascals (kPa) and rounded down to the nearest 10 kPa. For solids, an S is listed.

19 stands for the year of manufacture. The UN approval of plastic packaging must not be older than 5 years. In the second example, the year is not indicated because the UN approval was on a main document of the packaging. However, the year of manufacture must always appear on the packaging itself.

D is the country where the test took place, in these examples here it is Germany and the Netherlands (NL).

The last character string designates the certification body of the packaging in question. It appears in the form of a name, manufacturer's mark or a code of the certification body.

From 2021, the labels on our packaging will bear a so-called UFI number or UFI code. In this article, our dangerous goods officer, Mark Brumme, informs you about the new UFI numbers.

Example of a UFI number: P4TM-JOY2-700M-FSVS

It is an alphanumeric code with 16 digits, divided into four sections by hyphens. This label will be mandatory from 2025 for all products that pose health or physical hazards.

What is this new UFI number all about?

UFI stands for "Unique Formula Identifier". The UFI code is intended to help take the right measures in the event of poisoning. Poison control centers have access to a directory of these numbers and can thus quickly and safely identify the ingredients and properties of the product.

For which products is the UFI number mandatory?

The UFI number must be affixed to all products containing hazardous ingredients. However, as a voluntary measure, the information may also be used for non-hazardous products. So if you find a UFI number on our products, it does not necessarily mean that it is also a hazardous product.

Where do the rules of the new UFI number apply?

The UFI number is the implementation of the information from Article 45 of EU Regulation 1272/2008. Since this is a European regulation, you will find the UFI number or code on products from all EU countries in the future.

What are the deadlines?

From when the UFI number must be affixed to products depends on their distribution. A distinction is made as to whether a product is sold to private end users, to commercial users or to industrial companies:

Private users as of 01.01.2021
Commercial users from 01.01.2021
Industry from 01.01. 2024
Products reported before 01.01.2021 as of 01.01.2025

Regardless of these deadlines, you will find the UFI number on our products with immediate effect. We also indicate the UFI number on products that do not have any hazardous ingredients. In addition, you will also find the UFI number on our safety data sheets in the future.

What to do in case of an accident?

We do not want you to be injured by one of our or other products, but if this should happen, the stored information will help the medical professional to take the right measures. To make this possible, please take a picture of the product (e.g. with a cell phone) and bring the picture (or the cell phone) to the accident room. Using the UFI number, the doctor can then obtain important information from the poison control center. Since not all products with emergency numbers have the information yet during a transition period, you should also have the product name and manufacturer ready (or take a picture). If it is one of our products, you can also bring our safety data sheet to the emergency physician instead.

If you have any further questions about UFI numbers or UFI code, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Your employees still have to use cleaners with hazard symbols? The cleaners are working fine and you see no reason to change anything? The potential hazards seem to be under control with the use of PPE? So why change anything if there doesn't seem to be a need? That's still the thinking of many companies. So the justification for cleaners such as MEK, NMP, toluene, ethyl acetate, terpenes, etc. still seems to be there, even though many veteran cleaners have been shown to be carcinogenic, for example. Certainly, in 99% of companies, the will is there to protect employees from hazards. However, taking a step into the unknown by switching to new types of cleaners requires courage and active action. Often this fails, even if the intention is there. From our own experience, however, we can say that there are many good reasons to actively take the step toward safe cleaners.

Many of our customers now approach us and are happy to have substituted the dangerous cleaners, because their employees have long since honored the better working conditions. Even if the change was not accepted by everyone at first.
The advantages are obvious.

After the changeover, supervisors and decision-makers no longer have to justify the use of hazardous cleaners to auditors or superiors. Possible fines or sanctions, e.g. for exceeding workplace limits, which are no longer a rarity due to increasingly restrictive specifications, could also be circumvented by customers using our cleaners. In addition to the aspect of occupational safety, the economic factor thus plays an increasingly important role in the decision for the right cleaner. And what if your own customer places great emphasis on the issue of occupational safety, but you still use chemical pesticides and your customer finds out about it? In the end, it's things like this that can set you apart from the competition.

You are looking for safe cleaners or want to replace critical cleaners. Talk to us. We will support you with a detailed consultation on site.

By the way, our cleaners are recommended by BG ETEM.

The requirements for your end products are becoming more and more extensive on many levels, whether due to legal requirements or customer-specific requests. One customer would like to receive a certificate of conformity that the products supplied have been produced under food-safe conditions, another demands that the cleaner used in the production process complies with legal requirements and, for example, does not contain any substances on the SVHC list.

Certifications by NSF or ISEGA 

These increased requirements on the part of our customers run through the entire supply chain, which is why we see it as our duty to simplify these admittedly inconvenient but necessary procedures and activities as far as possible for our customers. We succeed in this through an active policy. Many of our cleaners, for example, have food safety certificates from the NSF or the ISEGA Institute that are recognized in the market, so that many customer requirements can already be certified "out of the box.

Specific customer inquiries for which there is not yet a standardized certificate are always answered quickly and reliably thanks to the know-how we have built up over many years. And if it should happen that a cleaner does not meet a requirement, we sit down together with our customers to find a solution that satisfies all demands for performance, conformity and safety.

Both sides benefit from this cooperative partnership. On the one hand, the joint development process results in cleaners that are unique and tailored to the individual needs of our customers. On the other hand, we gather new knowledge that flows into the development of new innovative products. In the process, we have been maintaining an increasingly extensive database for many years, which allows us to act flexibly and with an eye to the future in the interests of our customers.

Many of our cleaning concentrates already have food certification by NSF or ISEGA such as Meganova, Novatrax, Microsolv or Gluemex. Contact our technical team directly if you have new requirements for your cleaners or processes. We will take care of your request and make your work as easy as possible.

In industry, cleaning is quite simple: it must be quick and clean enough not to jeopardize production. Chemical and aggressive cleaners are often used to achieve the desired result. Often, the aspect of environmental compatibility falls victim to these primary goals. Another problem arises from the frequently high pH values: skin irritations and allergies can be the result.

Surfactants are needed for dirt- and grease-dissolving cleaning. They have a molecular structure that is particularly conducive to cleaning: on the one hand, they attract water (hydrophilic), and on the other, they attract grease (lipophilic). In this way, they infiltrate firmly adhering dirt and separate it from the surface. The dirt particles dissolve in the water and are rinsed off.

The latest generation of biosurfactants brings all expectations both innovative and sustainable to a point: Despite their strong cleaning power, they are so mild to the skin that they are even used in the cosmetics industry. What's more, they are produced entirely naturally by microorganisms and are 100% biodegradable.

We currently have two biosurfactant cleaners in our range.