Alternative Flame Retardants

For some applications it is possible to substitute existing flame retardants with alternatives. However, in common the with other Cefic sector groups, EBFRIP supports the objectives of the REACH legislation, in which substitution should be considered only when a substance is subject to restrictions, and when an alternative is available which has also been subject to registration and evaluation, and found to present a more favourable risk profile.

For Deca-BDE, alternatives exist for virtually all applications. However, as Deca-BDE has not been shown to present significant risks to human health or the environment, its replacement by other flame retardants whose potential impacts on human health and the environment are far less understood is not warranted.

For TBBPA, no risks have been identified for reactive use (in printed circuit boards), and to date there is no readily available alternative flame retardant.

For HBCD, currently there are no technically and commercially feasible alternatives for EPS and XPS applications, demonstrated to have more favourable risk profiles, despite intensive research.