News

A very wide range of different flame retardants are today needed to achieve fire safety in materials with very different and demanding mechanical, electrical, aesthetic or other properties.

As part of EU Green Week, Fire Safe Europe’s 2nd June 2022 webinar discussed why fire safety is linked to sustainability in buildings, in the context of the EU’s “Renovation Wave” objective of renovating building stock to improve energy efficieny and of “green buildings”.

Introduced the webinar with a presentation explaining why environmental and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) assessments of buildings should take into account fire risk and fire safety, in the context of the IAFSS agenda for fire safety (International Association for Fire Safety Science, see pinfa Newsletter n°108).

The EU FIEP (Fire Information Exchange Platform) was launched with the aim of improving fire safety across the EU by sharing information on best practices between Member States.

Emphasised that sustainability is critical in construction, but is also very complex. Energy efficiency was a key parameter in the past, but now circularity is also a priority (use of secondary materi...

Agreed that fire safety opens important potential for innovation in sustainable building materials and construction.

There is a need for science, testing and standards, both on new materials and new energy systems in green buildings, and on the links between fire safety and sustainability.

Further underlined the need for data on changing fire risks with green buildings. Data is not keeping up with the implementation of new technologies, green materials, façade insulation, photovoltaics, energy storage, etc.

Keeping people safe is critical for all buildings. She calls for wide value chain cooperation to integrate sustainable construction and fire safety, engaging design engineers and architects, materials suppliers, the construction industry, as well as researchers and regulators

Industry wants European standards, to facilitate placing on the market and to ensure demanding levels of fire safety. The EU has regulatory tools which can support this, in particular the Construction Products Directive and the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive, but in the latter fire safety is only included marginally.

A Fire Safety Journal article and a thesis from Oregon State University find little existing science and identifies research and data gaps.

New report analyses emissions from fires, susceptible to have health or environmental impacts, with an Emission Factor database for 90 materials.

NFPA-funded study proposes framework for quantifying environmental impact of fires and identifies research gaps. As above, most of the c. 60 references concern environmental impacts of wildfires or of major fire incidents, fire statistics reports or ISO methodologies.

Efectis has published reports on several packages of the EU FireStat project on fire data and cost/benefit analysis of fire safety actions (“Closing data gaps and paving the way for pan-European Fire Safety Efforts”, see DG GROW above).

EU FireStat report concludes fire safety regulation upholstered furniture and mattresses in Sweden offers net cost benefit, but with high uncertainty. This is the report of package #5 of the EU FireStat project (see above), led by Efectis, with this work package carried out by Lund University.

New 500 page reference work from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers on fire impacts on the environment, including mitigation and sustainability.

Commission report analyses objectives and existing tools for assessment of “SSbD” for chemical, but ignores durability. The 184 page report reviews existing frameworks relevant to “Safe and Sust...

pinfa members working together on opportunities offered by for PIN flame retardants by the EU Green Deal.

Pinfa North America has elected Carolyn Pressley, Budenheim USA, as Chairman for 2-year term, from 1st July 2022.

pinfa infographics explain why chemical stability of PIN FRs is key to Green Deal product durability objectives.

pinfa-NA member, Dr. Anteneh Worku (FR Adviser LLC) presents challenges of FR design and production. pinfa North America (pinfa-NA) was a sponsor of the ACS Fire and Polymers 2022 workshop

State proposes to restrict all halogenated flame retardants (HFFRs) in E&E enclosures and stands. The proposal from the Washington State Ecology Department takes forward the SAFER “priority products” process (law RCW 70.365, see pinfa Newsletter n°108).

The WHO’s IARC has classified cancer as an exposure risk for firefighters. At an expert meeting 1st July 2022, IARC classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)

The EU’s Copernicus (CAMS) data show record wildfire activity in South West Europe. Germany, Eastern Europe and Baltic States are also affected.