Make your specialty chemicals logistics fit for the future with safe and sustainable stainless steel transport systems from WILHELM SCHMIDT

Chapeau la France! Ban on plastic containers for flammable liquids

From January 1, 2026, France will ban plastic containers larger than 30 liters for the transport and storage of flammable liquids. This is partly due to a major fire at a chemical plant in Rouen in 2019. Accidents and fires involving plastic containers and IBCs have long called their safety into question. Accidents involving the handling of hazardous substances in plastic also occur time and again in Germany. Most recently in January 2025 in Sulzbach im Taunus. 300 liters of tetrahydrofuran (THF) leaked from a damaged plastic IBC and 3 people had to go to hospital with injuries.

Safety for people, products and the environment in stainless steel transport systems

Stainless steel containers are the safe, sustainable and economical alternative to plastic containers. They are used for the transportation of hazardous goods in industries that require maximum operational safety and product protection. Our systems guarantee that chemical and pharmaceutical products pose no risk to users and the environment and retain their properties during transportation and storage.

Advantages of Wilhelm Schmidt stainless steel containers:

  • Fire-resistant and explosion pressure shock-resistant: Wilhelm Schmidt has proven in tests at the BAM in Berlin that our containers can withstand the external effects of fire for over 40 minutes, and significantly longer with a fuse. Burst tests at over 30 bar also confirm the strength in the event of an internal explosion.
  • Mechanically resistant and chemically resistant: The robust containers prevent product leakage in the event of impact or collision. Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, does not diffuse inwards or outwards and does not release microplastics or plasticizers.
  • Hermetically sealed sterile design: The aseptic product compartment guarantees cleanliness and prevents contamination from external particles, oxidation or UV light. The low-dead-space design with smooth surfaces is easy to clean and prevents germ adhesion.
  • Dual approval as a transport and pressure container (UN + CE): Wilhelm Schmidt transport systems are approved in accordance with the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU and are designed for high vapor and operating pressures. Over 35 international UN approvals enable the approved transportation of hazardous goods.
  • Contamination-free closed-loop use: Our closed-loop containers with valves and self-closing dry quick couplings are completely gas-tight. They can be operated without intermediate cleaning in a closed loop “dedicated” for the same product and the same customer.
  • Durable, reusable & recyclable: stainless steel containers can be used for decades, they do not generate any packaging waste and are the solution for setting up sustainable supply logistics. In the end-of-life case, stainless steel is fully recyclable.
  • Economical with a short return on investment: the use of reusable stainless steel containers pays for itself after just a few cycles. Permanent acquisition and disposal costs for single-use systems are eliminated. Thanks to modern IoT remote monitoring, the containers can be used even more efficiently.

Partner to the chemical and pharmaceutical industry along the supply chain

Wilhelm Schmidt transport containers are used for fine chemicals used in pharmaceuticals, laboratories and microelectronics. Each type series has been developed together with customers and authorities and offers manufacturers, bottlers and consumers reliable and sustainable logistics solutions for different volumes and purity levels. Our systems have proven themselves for the transport of solvents such as acetonitrile, methanol and isopropanol, for DNA/RNA specialties and for aggressive media such as metal organics, silanes, silicon, dichloromethane, ammonia, chlorosulfonic acid and Hoko nitric acid.

Wilhelm Schmidt product range of stainless steel transport systems

Wilhelm Schmidt: Quality Made in Germany

  • Standardized type series in the modular platform system
  • 100% Made in Germany with thermoformed shelves from our own production
  • Volumes from 0.01 to 1,500 liters
  • 15 diameters from 31 mm to 1,200 mm
  • 35 international transport approvals