pinfa’s General Assembly took place in Cologne, 10th December, with nearly 50 participants from pinfa member companies and an invited speaker from environmental NGO ChemSec. Initial results of major testing programmes engaged by pinfa were presented: recycling of polymer materials containing PIN FRs (Fraunhofer LBF) and smoke emissions testing comparing neat polymers with polymer – PIN FR compounds (CREPIM). Sonja Haider presented ChemSec’s “Marketplace” system, which enables companies to advertise chemicals with positive environment and health profiles which aim to substitute problematic chemicals (in particular those on the SIN and Substitute Now lists). After less than a year, the ChemSec MarketPlace already has over 130 substance proposals, from some 70 companies, including several pinfa members. The demand from electronics manufacturers for recognised third-party assessments (e.g. GreenScreen) of substitute FRs for the US EPEAT label was discussed, deciding that pinfa will link such reports in the pinfa website Product Selector, where companies make these public. The meeting enabled members present to suggest priority actions for pinfa in 2019, which will now be discussed by the Board, along with projects already decided: further electromobility workshops following the successful meeting in China reported in pinfa Newsletter n°96, promotion of fire safety in EU policies, European workshop 2019 with R&D projects into polymer recycling, publication of results of pinfa PIN FR material recycling project and of pinfa smoke emissions testing.
Information on pinfa membership and participation in future pinfa General Assemblies