Halogenated flame retardants in plastic and rubber parts
Level: Core
Halogenated flame retardants are toxic and are not biodegradable.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 11444
- Group:
- Projectors
Criterion text
All plastic and rubber parts in the specified product(s) weighing at least 25 grams may not contain halogenated flame retardants at more than 0.1% by weight.
Parts that are considered to be plastic or rubber are those that are mainly composed of plastic and/or rubber; that is, containing at least 50% by weight.
Verification
The supplier shall, upon request, be able to present any of for example the following:
- Valid license for any of for example the following labels:
- TCO Certified for projectors, generation 9.
- Documentation from the product manufacturer that verifies that halogenated flame retardants are not found in the product's plastic and rubber parts at levels exceeding 0.1% or 0.5% by weight respectively, in accordance with the requirement. Safety data sheets and other technical documentation from the raw material suppliers for all flame retardants must be available for this verification.
Proposed follow-up
If a supplier uses an ecolabel to prove that the requirement is met, it must be ensured that there is a valid license, certification or equivalent for the product in question. This can be checked: TCO Certified.
If the requirement is verified by documentation from the product manufacturer, request the technical documentation for all flame retardants that are used, in order to ensure that they are not halogenated.
Motive
Flame retardants are used to prevent or delay a material from catching fire. Halogenated flame retardants, such as brominated flame retardant, are toxic, can accumulate in living organisms and do not degrade in the environment.1 Brominated flame retardants can be transported over great distances through the air and remain in the environment for a very long time. They are found in relatively high levels in the environment as pollutants in water, sediments and aquatic organisms etc.2
The exception for circuit boards is included since there are not many circuit boards on the market that meet the requirement regarding halogenated flame retardants. Circuit boards must nevertheless meet the regulatory requirements regarding flame retardants.
Fluoroorganic substances added to modify droplet behaviour in the case of fire (how the plastic melts in a fire) are exempted in order to ensure that products meet safety standards. Homogeneous material refers to each plastic part, so that the amount of fluoroorganic substances are exempted up to 0.5% by weight for each individual plastic part.
Both exceptions are harmonised with TCO Certified to make it possible to use TCO Certified as verification.
1Source: https://www.kemi.se/privatpersoner/kemiska-amnen/flamskyddsmedel
2Source: https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Sa-mar-miljon/Manniska/Miljogifter/Organiska-miljogifter/Flamskyddsmedel/
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 11444
- Version date
- 2020-04-07
- Review date
- 2023-05-02