VW 91101 Environmental Standard for Products - Material Compliance

The “VW 91101 Environmental standard for products - Material suitability” standard, developed by the Volkswagen automotive company , describes the requirements for substances, mixtures, and products that are prohibited, restricted, or otherwise subject to the following requirements:

• Laws in countries that are sales markets for Volkswagen Group vehicles
• Internal decisions of the Volkswagen Group, regardless of regulations and place of use

This standard applies to substances, mixtures, materials, and products used in vehicles or their components, as well as to all other products, including fuels, coolants, fluids, and lubricants. It also applies to substances, mixtures, and products produced or used during vehicle operation, repair, or maintenance.

The subject of this standard is the use and handling of materials that can be verified or potentially contain contaminants or are subject to chemical inventory regulations. In this context, it is irrelevant whether the undesirable substances are produced as additives or impurities or in the end-use.

The environmental policy is determined according to the standard “VW 91100 Quality management system requirements for suppliers”.

In general, the requirements must be met in accordance with the VW 50156, VW 50180, and VW 91100 standards. All applicable laws and regulations, as well as all other national and international regulations, must be adhered to. For legally required testing, the current version of the law must always be applied.

For occupants of vehicles manufactured by the Volkswagen Group, interior emissions must not adversely affect their health or cause discomfort. This must comply with the VW 50180 standard.

In terms of declarable substances and prohibited substances, the regulations in the global automotive declarable substance list and all other worldwide regulations that may have an impact on the life cycle of products must be complied with.

Material restrictions must always be observed (even for handover parts) and whether the parts can be used must be checked in this context.

Products and mixtures should contain or release only substances that are globally registered and approved for their intended applications in accordance with all relevant chemical inventories and regulations governing chemicals.

If the Volkswagen Group issues any rules or prohibitions for substances or materials that go beyond those included in this standard, these are listed in Annex A, which is binding on suppliers. Annex A further defines:

• Whether the use of a substance is completely prohibited
• Limit at which substances can be contained or released
• Whether the substance is subject to mandatory declaration

The supplier is obligated to provide material data sheets in accordance with Annex B. The supplier is obligated to inform the buyer of the product and product composition within 48 hours if the product contains:

• A substance that should no longer be used because it is identified with a “P” on the global automotive declarable substance list or because its specific use is regulated elsewhere worldwide.
• A substance that is directly or indirectly subject to restrictions in any worldwide chemical inventory
• A substance that is part of any worldwide regulatory measure (e.g. REACH)

The supplier must also discuss the subsequent action plan with the buyer. Any change in the chemical composition of a product must be managed in accordance with the VW 01155 standard. Suppliers of fuels, coolants, fluids, lubricants, or materials for the production process are required to provide the full chemical composition and a material safety data sheet in accordance with the VW 50156 standard, in addition to the requirements in Annex B.

The VW 91101 standard in short is typically used to define specifications for:

• Materials (e.g. steel, plastic, coating types)
• Production processes
• Test procedures
• Technical requirements for parts and components

This standard is crucial for suppliers and internal departments to ensure consistency, quality and compatibility across VW vehicles and components, and to ensure that the materials used comply with global environmental and safety regulations.

The VW 91101 standard aims to:

• Ensuring compliance with international chemical regulations such as REACH (EU) and other national laws.
• Control and limit hazardous substances in vehicle components to protect human health and the environment.
• Requiring disclosure of material compositions through the international material data system or similar systems

Material conformity, in general terms, refers to the conformity of a material or a product made from it to specific standards, specifications, or regulatory requirements. It's a term commonly used in engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain management to confirm that materials used:

• Comply with technical specifications (e.g. mechanical strength, corrosion resistance)
• Complying with legal and environmental regulations (e.g. REACH, RoHS)
• Not containing prohibited or restricted substances (e.g. lead, mercury, asbestos)
• Be properly documented through material declarations such as safety data sheets

Material compliance in the context of the VW 91101 standard means that the material or part supplied to Volkswagen has been tested and declared in accordance with VW standards and global legislation. This demonstrates that prohibited substances are not included or that permitted substances are within the permitted limits.

If a material is not compliant, Volkswagen may reject it, trigger recalls or regulatory fines, or cause harm to user health or the environment.

Our organization, which has been supporting businesses across all sectors for years through a wide range of testing, measurement, analysis, and evaluation activities, has a strong team of employees who closely follow global developments in science and technology and are constantly improving themselves. In this context, we also provide testing services in accordance with the "VW 91101 Environmental Standard for Products - Material Compatibility" standard.