Fire resistance of materials used in buildings, including construction products, insulation, cables and furnishings, is central to fire prevention and to occupant and property safety.

Flame retardants can ensure the necessary level of fire resistance in materials, to ensure compliance with building regulations, and contribute to fire safety alongside building design and exit plans, fire detection and extinction systems, respect of fire safety precautions and fire practices.

Fire performance requirements in buildings in Europe are set by national or regional building regulations, sometimes with additional requirements fixed by developers, users or owners. These requirements depend on the use of the building, its size and often height and where it is situated.

Building regulations usually specify fire performance requirements by reference to the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR 2000/147/CE). This defines “reaction to fire” classes for spread of fire, smoke intensity and burning droplets. These classes and the relevant fire performance tests are designed to reflect the real risks of fire. To be placed on the European market, a construction product must be tested and labelled under the CPR. It can then be used wherever it corresponds to local building regulation material class requirements.

Selected PIN flame retardants can enable different construction materials to achieve levels of fire performance required by building regulations, including low smoke emission and low smoke corrosivity (both important to not inhibit escape) and no burning droplets (which risk spreading fire).

In Europe, fire safety in buildings is a Member State competence. The EU also has an important role to play. Fire safety in new buildings and building renovation is included in the revised EPBD (Energy Performance in Buildings Directive 2024/1275) and the “Renovation Wave”. pinfa is signatory to the European Fire Safety Manifesto 2024-2029 calling for further EU action on fire safety in buildings, in particular to address the new fire safety risks from green transition, electrification and green buildings