WIRED MAY 2015

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Brake Clinic
Copper Free
Brake Pads
In 2010, California
and Washington
(USA) passed
a legislation
that will require
brake pads sold
or installed in both
states to have reduced
levels of copper and
other heavy metals.
The legislation was decreed due
to claims by environmental groups
and regulators. As brake pads
wear down, copper and other
metals are deposited on roadways
and are washed into streams and
rivers. Copper is highly toxic to fish
and other aquatic species.
This legislation may be coming
to the UK very soon.
We can confirm that all Eicher
brake pads are 100% copper
free, we believe that Eicher
will be one of the first compliant
brands. Pagid pads are soon
to follow with TMD having
already implemented changes
to the label. Pagid Pads are
already 90% copper free.
However, historically older OE
materials approved by vehicle
manufacturers still contain copper.
The environmental
code on the label
is a combination
of the “year of
production” and a
letter (“A”, “B” or “N”)
which indicates the
compliance level:
A - More than 5.00 %
B - 0.50 % - 5.00 %
N - Less than 0.50 %
To indicate the compliance level
on the packaging, the following
images will be used:
e Clinic