Service information | HELLA
“Better Brakes Rule”
The US states of California and Washington have passed a new law relating to the environmental sustainability of automotive brake linings and brake pads. Under this law, better known as “Better Brakes Rule”, manufacturers of friction materials for brakes are required to register their products. With effect from January 1, 2014, all products manufactured after this date and sold in California require an environmental code on the product.
With effect from January 1, 2015, the state of Washington requires the marking of products and packaging (labels). The environmental code on the product is formed from a combination of the “year of production” and a letter (“A”, “B” or “N”), indicating the degree of compliance.
This letter is awarded by an official registrar (NSF) and based on test results from an accredited, independent laboratory.
Under these requirements, concentration levels of copper in brake pads are classified as follows.
- A = > 5.00%
- B = 0-50 – 5.00%
- N = < 0.50%
Brake lining marking
- ECE number
- US material code – if available
- HELLA part number
- Batch number
- Environmental code
- Part number
Packaging marking
The following images are used to indicate the degree of compliance on the packaging (leaf symbol):
In order to meet the requirements of the “Better Brakes Rule” legislation, HELLA has already certified all products which may possibly be sold in the US and marked them with the corresponding environmental code.
In order to meet the requirements of Washington state, HELLA will also integrate the leaf symbols on the labels of affected products in the course of 2014.
Important safety note
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