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FRX Polymers successfully completed a rigorous third-party assessment and verification process that takes into account human and environmental safety.

May 19, 2022

2 Min Read
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Image courtesy of Alamy/Panther Media GmbH

ChemForward, a Washington, DC–based nonprofit that provides broad access and transparency to chemical hazard data, has named FRX Polymers’ Nofia a Verified SAFER Flame Retardant Solution. FRX Polymers earned ChemForward’s SAFER designation for its Nofia-branded flame-retardant product by successfully completing a rigorous third-party assessment and verification process that considers both human and environmental safety, said FRX in the announcement.

The designation further strengthens FRX Polymers’ position as the globally recognized leader in environmentally sustainable polymeric, non-halogenated flame retardants for a range of consumer and industrial products and applications, including electronics, said Marc Lebel, President and CEO of FRX Polymers. “It also answers the question, 'What will be the alternative if I instruct suppliers not to use a certain flame retardant, or a class of flame retardants?' 

“The SAFER designation provides a simple, transparent answer to this question, based on hazard information produced by methodologies recognized by regulatory bodies around the world,” explained Lebel. “This is the surest way to avoid the risk of regrettable substitution.”

Toxicology experts working with the SAFER program assess a supplier’s trade name ingredient against human and environmental impacts. To be designated as SAFER, all chemicals present at or above 100 ppm have been disclosed and assessed by a qualified toxicology firm against ChemForward’s hazard methodology. All chemicals subject to disclosure are well characterized and do not present high hazards, said FRX.

ChemForward is an independent project of the Healthy Building Network, a 501c3 based in Washington, DC. The project began as an internal initiative of the C2C Products Innovation Institute to lower cost and bolster quality assurance for material health assessments in the certification program, writes the nonprofit on its website. In 2017, it initiated a user-centered design process to solve this business requirement for the institute. The research revealed a market need for cost-effective, verified, actionable chemical hazard data to enable proactive decision making throughout the supply chain and across industry sectors. These insights led the institute, co-design partners, and funders to pursue a new model to make chemical hazard data more transparent, actionable, and accessible. In late 2018, the project was spun out of C2CPII to ensure the broadest possible impact.

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