ASTM International, Cooper Standard ISG and You - Cloned
Customers in the industrial sealing and fluid handling space face constant pressure to meet evolving standards from regulatory agencies, certifying bodies, and industry groups. Cooper Standard ISG stays ahead by proactively monitoring these requirements, developing compliant materials, submitting documentation, and helping customers avoid penalties while entering global markets profitably.
We offer ready-to-use alternative materials, in-house compounding and profile design expertise, and advanced Finite Element Analysis to support any need.
In this blog series, we will discuss the organizations and requirements that most frequently impact our products and our customers, including ASTM; UL; California OEHHA’s Prop 65; the European Chemical Agency’s REACH and RoHS; PFAS mandates; Responsible Minerals; and, finally, the FDA, along with some of its international analogs and the certifying body NSF.
In each blog post, we will discuss some of the responsibilities that requirements might place upon customers in particular industries, and how Cooper Standard ISG expertise can help ensure that our partners’ seals, fluid handling systems and all related components meet every demand.
In this blog post, we will be discussing the Responsible Minerals Act.
The Responsible Minerals Act/Conflict Minerals Rule affects Cooper Standard ISG and our partners, impacting customers across industries.
The rule, part of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Section 1502), has similar regulations in the E.U. as well.
The Act aims to reduce violence and human rights abuse by requiring publicly traded companies to report their use of certain minerals, increasing transparency and potentially cutting funding to conflict areas.
The original Conflict Minerals list included Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten and Gold(the so- “3TG” metals). It was later expanded to include cobalt and mica, copper, natural graphite, lithium and nickel. These are tracked using the CMRT and the EMRT reporting templates. Manufacturers must either confirm they do not use these metals or provide sourcing and smelting information’s to prove minerals are not from conflict areas.
A Corporate-Wide Effort
The Responsible Minerals Act focuses on social justice in the supply chain rather than environmental or health risks from materials. Beyond managing compliance at production, we coordinate with our corporate Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Team and the Responsible Minerals Team.
Annual Conflict Minerals Corporate Policy and Reports are available at: https://www.cooperstandard.com/investors/corporate-governance/conflict-minerals, including the
formal responsible minerals policy statement from our Chairman and CEO Jeffrey S. Edwards, https://www.cooperstandard.com/sites/default/files/2021-04/CS_Conflict_Minerals_Policy_Statement_4-21.pdf
We are also an active member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), which provides tools and resources for responsible mineral sourcing and accurate reporting.
Where We Stand
At Cooper Standard ISG, we rarely use these minerals in our sealing and fluid handling components. Our substrates, often compounded in-house for purity, are mainly thermoplastics or rubbers like EPDM and silicone.
We sometimes use small amounts of metal wire for reinforcement, coatings for wear and tear resistance, or metal oxide colorants. Iron, especially red iron oxide, is common and not on any restricted lists. We don’t use 3TG materials, but because copper, nickel and cobalt can appear in metal oxide pigments, we have a system to investigate, report, and inform customers when these are present.
At the corporate level, we ensure any such materials are sourced properly and provide declarations confirming either their presence with sourcing details or their absence, keeping customers compliant.
In short, we actively manage Conflict Minerals concerns and can assist with this and other regulatory or certification issues. Contact us anytime for support.