Lifecycle, care and recycling

1. KEY ELEMENTS

• Groupe SEB does not use any PFAS considered carcinogenic by health authorities.
• Groupe SEB uses PTFE, which is known to be inert, non-bioaccumulative and therefore safe for human health, and is recognized as such by health authorities.
• Groupe SEB is also pursuing a strategy of diversifying its offering to meet the diverse expectations of all its customers.
• Finally, the Group is engaged in a constant process of innovation aimed at improving our products. This is particularly the case for the resistance of coatings, which are increasingly durable over time.

 

2. PTFE / PFAS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES

a. What is PTFE?

PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene is a fluoropolymer.

It is used in non-stick coatings and consists of a chain of thousands of carbon atoms, with two fluorine atoms attached to each carbon atom. This structure makes PTFE not absorbed by the human body and therefore safe for health.

It also makes it exceptionally resistant to high temperatures and highly "sliding," giving it non-stick properties that are ideal for producing a highly effective coating for cooking and frying pans

The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), European (EFSA) and U.S. health authorities (FDA) have all confirmed that PTFE is safe for human health. Tefal's non-stickcoatings are approved for use in contact with food.

b. Where is this PTFE produced?

PTFE is one of the basic materials used in the formulation of non-stick coatings.

It is produced by leading international chemical companies, selected as part of Groupe SEB's responsible purchasing policy (according to ethical, social and environmental criteria) and on the basis of strict specifications. These companies are regularly inspected.

c. What reference studies are used by health authorities to demonstrate that PTFE coatings do not pose a risk to human health?

Public health authorities in Europe and the United States have shown that PTFE is an inert substance that has no effecton the human body when ingested. These same authorities have confirmed that PTFE coatings pose no health risk when used in cookware.

Following a study conducted by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), WHO classified PTFE in Group 3 ever since [Volume 19, 288 (1979) and Supplement 7.70 (1987)], recognizing that it is not carcinogenic to humans.

That PTFE is safe for use is also evidenced in the fact that it is frequently used in the medical field (pacemakers, artificial arteries, prostheses, etc.).

d. What does the term PFAS refer to?

• The term PFAS (per- or polyfluoroalkyl compounds) refers to a large family of substances with a wide variety of chemical properties.
• Much of the information available, especially on the Internet, creates confusion by not explicitly distinguishingbetween PFAS known to be harmful, such as PFOA, and other chemical compounds that are classified in the same family, but are safe for health, such as fluoropolymers (PTFE).

e. Do you have PFAS in your pans?

• Groupe SEB's products do not contain PFAS considered harmful to health by health authorities.
• Several families of Groupe SEB products are made with a PTFE-based non-stick coating, a safe component approved by authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European authorities for use in non-stick coatings on cookware.

f. How do you control the absence of PFAS in your products?

• Our products are regularly checked by independent laboratories to verify the absence of PFAS considered problematic on the final articles and the total safety of the products manufactured by the group.
• We control that there is no detection of these PFAS using the best techniques commercially available today, our analysis goes beyond what is required by regulations.

g. Does the new RENEW range contain PFAS?

Our RENEW cookware range features an INOCERAM ceramic coating which, by its chemical nature, contains no PFAS.

h. Are some of your products made with Teflon?

Teflon™ is a registered brand of Chemours, a large global chemical company, and there is no link between Chemours and Tefal.

Groupe SEB brands, including Tefal and T-fal, makes cookware products with PTFE non-stick coatings. It does not use Teflon™.

 

3. CONSUMER SAFETY

What is the risk of a scratched non-stick pan? Or swallowing pieces of the coating?

European and American health authorities have all confirmed that PTFE is safe for health and have recognized it as an inert substance with no effect on the body when ingested.

 

Accidentally ingesting any part of the coating is safe. The human body does not absorb particles that remain completely harmless.

 

As studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC ) have shown, ingested PTFE particles pass through the body just like any other fiber that circulates in the digestive system without being absorbed. Because of its high chemical resistance, PTFE has no effect on the body when ingested.

 

However, scratches can reduce the non-stick qualities of the utensil, so we advise you to use it in accordance with brand instruction for use and replace it in case coating alterations.

 

4. REGULATORY ISSUES

What is the Group's position in relation to a regulatory context that is likely to evolve in the United States and Europe in the coming years?

Groupe SEB always places the wellbeing of its customers at the heart of its concerns. In this respect, our Group is consistently acting to be ahead of current national and international regulations.

 

We therefore reassure you that we follow with great attention the updates from all qualified authorities on the compliance of our products and claims, and are always acting accordingly. Our teams are currently closely monitoring the developments following the publication of the draft of the PFAS restriction report, as published by ECHA.

 

Tefal is fully committed to producing non-stick pans that are safe.

 

5. EMPLOYEES SAFETY IN OUR PLANTS

a. What are the criteria for exposure to PFOA?

For chemicals in general, there are three routes of exposure: ingestion, inhalation, skin contact.

For a line worker, the most likely route of exposure is by inhalation due to other personal protective equipment (gloves, work clothing) and the rules at the station (prohibition of eating at the station). Wearing respiratory protection was made compulsory in 2015 for the handling, formulation and coating of PTFE-based coatings, de facto reducing this risk.

 

b. What risk prevention policy do you put in place on your sites?

We are committed at all stages of our manufacturing processes to respecting prevention principles:

• Selection of the most suitable raw materials from a health-safety-environment point of view
• Capturing emissions and protecting employees at source. For example, our PTFE spray lines are all equipped with source suction at all emissive stages of the process. Devices make it possible to continuously monitor the proper functioning of these measures.