Flame retardants in textiles where flame retardant function are requested

Labelling
If the contract terms have been verified with a label, check that there is a valid license for the product in question. 

Valid license for any of for example the following labels. This can be checked on each website:

• Ökotex Standard 100 (produktklass I, II, III, IV) 2021-2023
• Nordic Ecolabelling for Textile, hides/skins and leather, version 4
• GOTS, version 6.0 (2020) or 7.0 (2023)
• bluesign APPROVED – BSSL (bluesign system substance list, usage range A, B, C), version 12 or 13

If the requirement has been verified with bluesign a valid certificate can be requested from the supplier. The Supplier can receive a certrificate from its “bluesign system partner” in the supply chain. bluesign APPROVED covers the different textiles. If bluesign APPROVED is used as verification a certificate for each ingoing textile in the product is needed.

Analysis report
If the contract terms have been verified with analysis reports, perform spot-checks spot-checks on the analysis reports and check that the values are below the requirement limit value for each flame retardant. Also check that the analyses were performed by an accredited laboratory.

Self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body
If the contract terms have been verified by a self-declaration, request the company’s self-declaration including technical documentation of compliance verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task in accordance with ISO/IEC 17029.

The requirement shall only be used where flame retardant function is required.

There are currently no accredited verification bodies according to ISO / IEC 17029 (Conformity assessment - General principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies), as it is a relatively new standard. However, this may change, especially if the demand for verifying compliance in this way increases. This possibility is therefore included in the list of possible verifications. More information about the standard is available at www.swedac.se.

Flame retardants are used to impede ignition and prevent the spread of fire. There are several hundred different flame retardants, and the halogenated (brominated and chlorinated), for example, can be persistent, bioaccumulative and hazardous to health. The basic requirement lists a number of halogenated flame retardants , as well as a phosphorus compound. Some of the halogenated flame retardant agents in the requirement (HBCDD, DecaBDE, SCCP, TCEP) are today on the Reach candidate list of Substances of Very High Concern, some are in Reach Annex XIV of substances subject to authorisation (HBCDD, SCCPS, TCEP) and some are on the Stockholm Convention list of persistent organic pollutants (TetraBDE, PentaBDE, HexaBDE, HeptaBDE, HexaBB and HBCDD). Reach Annex XVII on restrictions on the use of certain dangerous substances also regulates some flame retardants from use in textiles (Tris (2,3 dibromopropyl) phosphate) and Tris(aziridinyl)phosphinoxide, PBB) as well as OctaBDE. The halogenated flame retardants have been given particular attention as several substances in this group have proven to be persistent, bioaccumulative and harmful to health, which was also raised in a petition from around 150 researchers in 2010: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002202/.

The deliberate prevention of fire risks and the adapting of textiles, materials and furniture in premises can reduce the need to make textiles flame retardant. When different types of fibre are exposed to a source of ignition, they vary in their readiness to ignite or do not ignite at all*, and the ways in which they continue to burn or whether they go out differ. Wool, for example, is far more flame resistant than cotton, even if there are instances of also making wool flame retardant. Synthetic fibres burn and melt, but there are also synthetic fibres with inherent flame retardance, such as the polyester fibre Trevira CS. The form of the material also has significance, a "fluffy" fabric burns more easily than a fabric that is thick and tightly woven. Regardless of whether the flame retardant substances have been added to the fibre during or after manufacture, it is important to avoid substances that are hazardous to the environment or health.

* Using LOI, limiting oxygen index, fibres can be ranked according to how easily they burn. LOI is the minimum concentration of oxygen (%) needed to maintain combustion of the fibre.

More about flame resistance and systematic fire protection is available to read on the MSB website, https://www.msb.se/en

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.