CIDETEC Surface Engineering’s RESINSURF project will offer sustainable alternatives for the surface treatment industry

REACH constraints have led to a significant reduction in activity in the sector.

The project proposes several methods without hexavalent chromium, which is highly toxic to human health and the environment.

Training will be carried out to implement the new proposals in local Spanish, Portuguese and French industry, with the aim of empowering the sector.

The RESINSURF project, within the framework of the INTERREG SUDOE Programme and coordinated by CIDETEC Surface Engineering, is aimed at developing surface treatments free of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), used in industries such as metal plating, pigment production and leather tanning. It is a highly toxic and carcinogenic compound, harmful to both human health and the environment. For this reason, the EU banned its use in September 2017, under the REACH regulation, with a temporary extension allowing limited use until 2024. This makes it urgent to find alternatives so that the industry dedicated to the sector, which in recent years has suffered an exodus of activity to countries outside the EU where the aforementioned regulations do not apply, does not disappear.

RESINSURF, through the implementation of alternative sustainable technologies, will prioritise the transfer of knowledge and the training of professionals through seminars, workshops and open days, thus training both professionals and companies in the SUDOE territory, contributing to maintaining regional employment.

The project involves companies in the sector such as Titania (Spain), Prifer (Portugal) or Chrome Dur Industriel (France), with whom the solutions offered by RESINSURF will be put into practice. In parallel, it is planned to work with policy makers, with the aim of encouraging policies that facilitate the transition to the surface finishing industry.

This project, financed with a budget of almost 2 million euros, also counts on the participation of other entities from the SUDOE territory, such as Ineosurf, Universidade de Aveiro, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Smallmatek and the Association of Surface Finishing Industries (AIAS).