In the EU since 2024
EU legislators have proposed to ban chrome plating from 2024. California has also followed the example of the EU.
Chrome plating will be banned everywhere, but it looks like it will primarily affect the automotive industry, where chrome is used to create design elements.
We are talking about hexavalent chromium, which is a carcinogen and is hundreds of times more toxic than diesel fuel. The use of chromium in general has been regulated in the EU since 2003, but now it looks like it will be completely banned. Here it is worth clarifying that chromium is most harmful when applied, and not in finished products.
Cars will forever say goodbye to chrome elements.
Gilles Vidal, Renault’s chief designer, said that even if alternatives are found, he hopes new materials will be explored.
Environmentally friendly solutions are being explored, but I hope there are reasons why we can intuitively reject them. It’s time to change the rules of the game a bit and go beyond chrome, there are more sustainable alternatives
He cited Renault’s use of slate and cork finishes as well as recycled Alcantara as examples.
