ACTIVITIES

Pinfa Activity Report 2021

pinfa was steadfast in its commitment to maintain high fire safety standards across the world, which minimise the risk of fire to the general public, by continuing to improve the environmental and health profile of our flame retardant products. This mission remains especially important to ensure the continuity of progress in fire safety awareness, safer design and fire resistance materials.

We further grew our PIN FR family and proudly welcome on board the new members Luna, Sibelco,Asahi Kasei and RioTinto!

pinfa made an outline for a Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability roadmap for flame retardants. After its launch in late 2020, the European Commission has been working on further details of its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) as part of the EU Green Deal. Pinfa addressed the topic early on and has now come up with some concrete ideas on how to respond to the challenges and chances of the CSS. Members of the pinfa Advisory Board – which brings together experts and scientists from varying fields of material sciences, fire safety, environmental sciences, and toxicology – provided valuable feedback on the roadmap we outlined for the CSS. This preparatory work allows us to kick-off 2022 with a dedicated project with defined milestones and deliverables on the CSS, in close collaboration with Cefic and our value chain stakeholders. pinfa contributed to discussions in the EU policy context. We got involved in regulatory discussions around melamine, a nitrogen-based constituent of a number of flame retardants, and dove deeper into the sustainability topics around phosphorus flame retardants.

pinfa also contributed to a number of EU stakeholder consultations, ranging from batteries and smartphones to photovoltaics and construction products. In these contexts, pinfa stresses the role of fire safety for protecting consumers and workers.

pinfa stepped up its communications activities. In addition to launching a dedicated social media strategy for LinkedIn and Twitter – to complement the existing website and newsletter – pinfa (co-) organised a number of events on “Sustainable Electrical Vehicle Design”, “Transportation Composites” and “Safe and Sustainable-b-Design”. Pinfa also chaired well received panel discussions at the AMI flame retardants conferences, on “The future for flame retardants” and as part of the European Fire Safety Week on “New Fire Challenges of Green Energy in Buildings”. The latter was our first experience with online streaming – like being live on TV.

For 2022 we have an exciting programme lined up: In addition to the ongoing topics mentioned above, we will kick-off a review of recycling options and technologies for materials containing PIN FRs. We will be reaching out to our value chain partners, the fire safety community and European Commission to ensure that safer, greener flame retardants are seen as a role model for the EU Sustainable Chemicals Strategy.

Download full Pinfa Annual Report 2021 here 

Pinfa Activity Report 2020

A year like no other sums up 2020. We all witnessed an unprecedented global health pandemic bring life as we know it to a grounding halt. In spite of the extraordinary difficulties, the world community showed unparalleled strength and resilience and mended the broken seams, as best as they could. As part of the chemical industry, a designated essential sector in the fight against COVID-19, we’re proud of how pinfa member companies joined efforts in their local communities and regions, suppling disinfectants, masks and a helping hand when needed most.

In line with its mission, pinfa was steadfast in its commitment to maintain high fire safety standards across the world and standards which minimize the risk of fire to the general public by continuing to improve the environmental and health profile of flame retardant products. This mission was especially important to ensure the continuity of progress in fire safety awareness, safer design and fire resistance materials, in a year where government resources were stretched to the maximum.

Fire safety is a continuous societal need that cannot be put on hold, even in times of crisis as the consequences are also devastating. In line with our mission, we forged new partnerships with the fire safety community, launched new studies on smoke toxicity, organized webinars on the energy transition and the fire safety risks associated with batteries, participated in numerous public consultations to promote the importance of fire safety and flame retardants, and called for the integration of fire safety in European funded research. All of which are highlighted in this report.

2021 was welcomed with open arms by all and marks our global journey to recovery. The 2020 health crisis shed new light on the fragility of our society and has invigorated a new enthusiasm for the protection of human health and the environment. There is renewed optimism for a world where sustainability is at the forefront of business and policy making. In response, the European Commission launched an ambitious Green Deal and Sustainable Chemicals Strategy.

We at pinfa have an exciting programme lined up in 2021. We will be joining forces with our value chain partners, the fire safety community and the European Commission to ensure that safer, greener flame retardants stay a top priority for the Green Deal and Sustainable Chemicals Strategy.

Download full Pinfa Annual Report 2020 here 

Pinfa Activity Report 2019

2019 saw unprecedented technological breakthroughs, such as successful landings of reusable unmanned rockets, eradication of 2 of 3 polio stems or the very first observable image of a black hole. Prof. Michio Kaku often reminds us that we now have more computing power in our backpocket than the NASA had when men were first sent to the Moon … Yet, despite this profound progress, fire keeps being a threat to our society and lifestyles: when Notre-Dame caught fire earlier this year, nothing could
be done to stop the flames from destroying the eightcenturies old monument. The easiest fire to quench is the one that never sparkles; to achieve that, we need to promote greater awareness of fire safety, develop safer designs and rely on fire-resistant materials. pinfa is proud to be part of the solution for a safer world.

Since 2009, pinfa has been advocating for the promotion of safer flame retardants. The growth of our organisation spreading across three continents is a proud testimony of our success. Our value-chain approach bringing together manufacturers of flame retardants and their downstream users like distributors, compounders and OEMs facilitates integrated collaboration on our substances’ portfolio. Recently, the pinfa Product Selector has been revised to reflect the most up to date contents on the known PIN FR formulations. As the most visited page of the website, it is a strong endorsement for our transparency goal. As you will read in these pages, pinfa has been very active to ensure our commitment in favour of safer, greener flame retardants stays a top priority for policy-makers.

Together, let us promote durable and sustainable fire safety solutions.

Download full Pinfa Annual Report 2019 here 

Pinfa Activity Report 2018 

Throughout 2018, pinfa has maintained a high level of activities and commitment to promote PIN flame retardants in Europe and beyond. Indeed, 2018 is a watershed because it has been the first year with operations on three continents: in Europe where it all started in 2009, in North America where it grew in 2012 and now in China, where the thriving market offers many growth opportunities.

Fire Safety is one of the guiding concepts for our organization and we have been busy promoting it for prioritization in European Research programmes, in scientific bodies and in standardization platforms. One of the overarching principles in many sectors facing challenges in the selection of materials, Fire Safety deserves a high position on the political agenda and pinfa will keep pledging support to ensure it becomes more and more visible. Since pinfa is committed to deliver positive advocacy on non-halogenated flame retardants, our resources were invested in mostly three themes where pinfa could make a difference: first and foremost, the continuation of the work undertaken on smoke toxicity ought to deliver excellent sound scientific results on the toxicity of PIN flame retardants formulations. Second, pinfa kicked off a series of electromobility & flame retardants workshops, the first of which took place in Shanghai this November. Last but not least, pinfa maintained activities in its advisory board to collect feedback and constructive criticism over its initiatives.

Finally, 2018 ends in brio, with two new members who strengthen the pinfa portfolio and widen its scope: Schneider Electric, a world leader in the E&E sector is now fully integrated as an associate member and OMYA, one of the leaders in distribution of flame retardants is also a proud addition to the list of pinfa members.

Download full Pinfa Annual Report 2018 here