The EDANA Stewardship Programme for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs)

 

A right for safety

The principle that products must be safe for consumers and employees, and the environment is paramount for the AHP industry whose products have a long history of safe use worldwide. Absorbent Hygiene Products  (baby diapers, menstrual products, and adult incontinence products) help millions of Europeans, from early childhood to old age, live active and healthy lives. It is essential to maintain high standards for product safety and quality and the EDANA member companies that manufacture AHPs have a long-standing commitment to protecting human health.

AHPs comply with all relevant EU legislation relating to chemicals and product safety.  

The voluntary EDANA Stewardship Programme was launched in 2020 to establish a new level of transparency, strengthen industry’s safety efforts and enhance consumer confidence. 

What is this Programme addressing

The Programme addresses concerns about possible trace chemicals that may be found in AHPs when sensitive Trace impurities have been tracked by EDANA members for a long time and are often the subject of regulatory scrutiny, ongoing investigations by competent authorities or general consumer concerns.  Although the trace levels found in AHPs are well below all regulatory limits and don't pose health risk, with the development of the voluntary stewardship programme, EDANA members have taken a new level of action and transparency on trace levels in absorbent hygiene products by developing a science-based approach to evaluating trace levels and category and consumer relevant methods for testing for their presence. This program builds on the long-lasting record of responsible safeguarding to provide transparency and reassurance to consumers about the trace levels of impurities found in these products. 

The Stewardship Programme allows companies to voluntarily go beyond current EU and national legislation, and the participants are free to go beyond the established criteria of the Stewardship Programme based on their specific quality assurance processes.
EDANA members have developed harmonized consumer relevant testing methodologies to analyze such possible trace levels of substances associated with various perceived concerns in AHPs. As an industry, we also strive and encourage to use science-based transparent communication to keep the public informed.

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The CODEX™ is the core 

The voluntary Stewardship Programme core is its CODEX™, which features: 

  • An evolving list of trace chemicals, purposefully chosen by EDANA (including, but not limited to, PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, furans, phthalates, formaldehyde, metals). These are not intentionally used to manufacture absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) but may be present in trace amounts.
  • Guidance values for each substance, based on existing related regulations, regulatory guidance, related existing standards or industry experience.
  • Standardized consumer relevant test methods to evaluate products for possible traces of substances
Codex™ list & guidance values
Codex™ Test Method

Exposure-based risk assessment (EBRA) is currently the proposed method of choice, as a scientifically sound approach using realistic exposure parameters.

Compliance with the CODEX™ is the basis of the EDANA Stewardship Programme, which is a further step in demonstrating that manufacturers increase the already high level of consumer protection by a proper management of trace substances that might be present in AHPs. 

It is fundamental for EDANA to provide this information in a transparent manner for the upcoming evidence-based discussions with the respective stakeholders.

The open development of guidance values follows a tiered approach and evolves over time as new scientific data and insights become available or regulatory limits are updated. The guidance values do not affect the requirement to undergo the necessary safety assessments in compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988 (EU).

 

EBRA principles

How is it managed 

The governance of the Stewardship Programme is ensured by the AHP Committee. A Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) provides expert advice on the EDANA Stewardship Programme CODEX. The SAG has also developed a compendium of key facts about AHPs, from supply to manufacture, safety evaluation, and market surveillance, with a focus on the CODEX guidance values and the analytical extraction methods.

 

Compendium AHPs

Which companies take part 

The EDANA Absorbent Hygiene Product Industry Charter is the formal signatory document for the EDANA™ Stewardship Programme. Signatories support:

  • not exceeding the guidance values for trace impurities
  • using the agreed harmonised test method(s) to self-assess the presence of impurities
  • engaging in communication activities across the EU to reinforce transparency and further enhance consumer understanding of trace level impurities

 

This voluntary EDANA Stewardship Programme is open to all companies that manufacture and/or place absorbent hygiene products on the European market, regardless of whether these companies are members of EDANA.

The current signatories of the EDANA Stewardship Programme produce more than 80% of the baby diapers placed on the European market.



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