Joint position: The Alliance for Flame Retardant Free Furniture calls for harmonising flammability requirements for furniture in Europe via upcoming Sustainable Products Initiative
The Alliance for Flame Free Furniture welcomes the ‘COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act’ passed by the United States congress and signed into law on December 27, 2020, requiring that all upholstered seating for furniture imported or sold in the US comply with the flammability test specified by the California Technical Bulletin 117-2013 (TB 117 – 2013), a smoulder test.
The Alliance calls on the EU institutions and Member States to adopt a similar approach towards harmonising existing flammability standards and requirements across Europe, using smoulder ignition tests (such as cigarette test EN 1021/1) instead of open flame tests as a basis to prove compliance, whenever flammability requirements are already in place at national level. The upcoming Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) and implementing legislation should be the framework for combining fire safety, chemical safety and circularity objectives.