The Ural Plant of Deicing Materials (UZPM) LLC expresses its disagreement with the results of the deicing materials rating published by Roskachestvo (Russian Quality System) Autonomous Non-Profit Organization on February 25, 2026, and deems it necessary to publicly respond to it.
The company has thoroughly studied the complete set of research documents, including laboratory test reports, sampling certificates, and final conclusions. The analysis of those materials has revealed significant methodological violations, calling into question the objectivity of the rating and the reliability of the conclusions drawn from it. In fact, the published results form a distorted picture of the quality of products under the Bionord trademark and mislead consumers, municipal clients, and the general public.
UZPM always remains open to an objective, scientifically grounded assessment of its products and welcomes independent research conducted in compliance with industry-accepted standards. This is precisely why the company believes that it is important to bring the committed violations to the attention of the professional community.
1. The tests were conducted on a two-year-old sample with uncontrolled storage conditions
The most serious violation concerns the representativeness of the tested sample. According to the Sampling Certificate dated September 22, 2025, the Bionord Universal sample was manufactured in October 2023 and purchased from an online store. Laboratory testing was carried out between October and December 2025. Thus, more than two years passed between production and testing, during which time the product was completely outside the manufacturer’s control.
An online store is not a specialized storage facility for chemical products and is not obliged to ensure the proper storage conditions mandated by the manufacturer’s technical specifications.
We draw your attention to the fact that despite this, the sample maintained high performance characteristics across key parameters: high concentration of active ingredients (95.2%), excellent melting capacity, frost resistance, and absence of caking.
2. Roskachestvo voluntary standard is presented to the public as a statutory requirement
The company also draws your attention to how the research results were presented to the general public. All three comments regarding Bionord Universal have been formulated as a non-compliance with the “advanced standard of the Russian Quality System”. This document is an internal, voluntary standard developed independently by Roskachestvo. It is not part of the federal legislation system, is not provided for in any technical regulation, and is not mandatory for manufacturers to follow.
Furthermore, Roskachestvo does not disclose the scientific data or practical experience in the production and application of deicing materials upon which the indicators of this advanced standard are based, or whether these elevated requirements improve the product’s consumer properties.
Meanwhile, mass media publications referencing the Roskachestvo press service use phrases like “violations of mandatory legislative requirements” across 15 out of 21 trademarks without specifying exactly which requirements were violated and how. Mandatory requirements are established by federal laws, the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, acts constituting EAEU law, international treaties of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of constituent entities, and municipal regulatory legal acts. In reality, the issue concerns minor deviations from the benchmark set by Roskachestvo’s internal document. Presenting voluntary guidelines as mandatory legal requirements misleads the public.
3. Cement concrete impact assessment was conducted with violations
Similar methodological violations were committed during the assessment of aggressiveness toward cement concrete. In the test report, it is recorded with the phrasing “more than 0.10 g/cm³” while the permissible value according to Roskachestvo standard is “not more than 0.07 g/cm³.” An accredited laboratory performing quantitative analysis is obligated to state the exact value along with the margin of error. The wording “more than 0.10” does not allow for the determination of the actual degree of impact: there is a fundamental difference between the values of 0.11 and 0.50. Correct public conclusions based on such vague data are impossible.
4. The rating fails to take into account the environmental impact – a critical parameter for assessing the deicing material safety
UZPM draws your attention to a systemic gap in the methodology: among the 15 evaluated indicators, there are no parameters of environmental impact, such as the effect on soil, water bodies, plants, and biodegradability. For deicing materials applied annually in the streets of Russian cities, on private plots and gardens in hundreds of thousands of tons, the environmental profile is one of the most vital characteristics.
As should be expected, the omission of this criterion distorted the overall rating picture. The top positions were taken by basic formulations based on technical salt. Halite demonstrates stable laboratory metrics; however, it was the mass application of the latter over decades that has caused the salinization of urban soils, the destruction of plants, corrosion of underground utilities, and pollution of storm sewers. Modern multi-component formulations with biophilic additives and corrosion inhibitors were created specifically to resolve those issues.
For private consumers applying deicing materials on country and garden plots near fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and lawns, ecological safety is critically important, as it directly affects the composition of the soil used to grow food crops.
A rating that does not take into account environmental impact effectively encourages municipalities to revert to technologies that major cities have deliberately abandoned. The majority of large Russian cities transitioned to modern multi-component formulations precisely based on the results of a comprehensive evaluation that includes ecological safety.
UZPM reiterates that the Bionord line of deicing materials has successfully passed the federal state environmental appraisal and received a positive conclusion in accordance with Federal Law No. 174-FZ. The authors of the rating ignored this fact.
5. No industry experts were involved in the research
The company also draws attention to the issue of industry expertise. Deicing materials are an element of urban infrastructure operating at the intersection of road chemistry, ecology, and materials science. A comprehensive assessment of such products requires the participation of specialized organizations, such as ROSDORNII (Federal Autonomous Institution Russian Road Research Institute), MADI, dedicated laboratories for road construction materials, and the Association for Winter Maintenance of Infrastructure and Transport Objects. Not a single one of these organizations was involved in conducting this research.
UZPM is convinced that ratings of infrastructure products that directly influence municipal decisions in the fields of road safety and winter maintenance must rely on the full spectrum of product characteristics and be conducted with the involvement of industry specialists.
6. No transparent mechanism for final rating calculation
The published rating lacks a transparent mechanism for calculating the final results. The weight of each indicator in the overall score is not disclosed: from the research materials it is impossible to determine whether labelling carries the same weight as, for example, melting capacity or operating temperature. In particular, it remains unclear whether assigning “0” points for labelling signifies a complete absence of labels or non-compliance of specific product characteristics with those stated on the packaging.
In light of the above, UZPM considers the published rating to be biased, incorrect, and misleading to the general public. Testing a sample with uncontrolled storage conditions cannot serve as a valid basis for conclusions regarding product quality. The absence of environmental parameters within the evaluation system deprives the rating of practical significance for infrastructure decision-making. Presenting deviations from a voluntary standard as “violations of mandated statutory requirements” distorts both legal and factual reality.
At the same time, Roskachestvo research confirmed the safety of Bionord deicing material for footwear leather and verified its zero corrosive impact on metal – the two parameters around which major consumer anxieties regarding deicing materials have centered in recent years. These results are officially recorded on the research page of the Roskachestvo website.
UZPM is prepared to provide product samples for independent research in any accredited laboratory and is open to a professional dialogue, provided that correct methodology is applied, industry experts are involved, and the environmental profile of the products is taken into account.
The company reserves the right to protect its goodwill by all means provided by the laws of the Russian Federation.