The project, carried out by a consortium of seven members, has the objective to reduce the impact of flame retardants used in the textile industry and their future alternatives, on the environment, human health and on the safety of industry workers by analysing their environmental impact and functionalities. LIFE-FLAREX will promote substitution within the European companies of the sector.

LIFE-FLAREX is motivated by the environmental limitation that affects the use of this type of products, especially the halogenated ones. The REACH Regulation in relation to authorization and restriction processes of Substances of Very High Concern and their gradual replacement by appropriate alternatives together with the demands of end users and NGOs have encouraged the development of non-toxic or low toxicity solutions.

Although, in most cases, alternative solutions do not provide the required flame retardant properties in high performance applications, the leading chemical multinationals continue working on more functional and less toxic alternatives. Yet, there is a lack of information on the toxicity of these recently developed alternative solutions.

The LIFE-FLAREX project will select the products to be analysed according to their functionality and market requirements. An analysis of the environmental impact of the best available technologies being developed as an alternative to the current flame-retardants will be carried out. Demonstration activities in industrial facilities will ensure the technical, economic and environmental viability of the selected chemicals. A full and detailed analysis of the best technologies (i.e. functionality, controlled risk and lower toxicity) will be disseminated in order to inform society and define the best non-toxic technologies in which research should focus in the near future.

The project coordinator is AEI TÈXTILS, the Catalan cluster of technical textiles. Six additional partners complete the consortium: two Spanish technological centres/research institutes: LEITAT and the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (CSIC), both members of AEI TÈXTILS, the Belgian textile research centre CENTEXBEL and three technical textile clusters: ATEVAL from Spain, POINTEX from Italy and CLUTEX from the Czech Republic.

LIFE-FLAREX’s objective is to reduce the impact on the environment, human health and workers safety, of current flame retardants used in the textile sector, and their future alternatives, by identifying the best technologies available, both from the performance and from the sustainability point of view. This will be achieved by developing the analysis of their environmental impact and functionalities in order to promote the substitution amongst the manufacturers.

LIFE-FLAREX is co-funded by the European Commission's LIFE + program under the Environment Policy and Governance axe with Grant Agreement number LIFE16 ENV/ES/000374. Total budget: 1.163.879€.

Press releases

LIFE-FLAREX held the fifth project meeting in Barcelona to assess safer flame retardants for the textile industry

Read the press release of June 10th, 2019

The LIFE-FLAREX consortium traveled to Italy on December to participate in the Boostalps networking event in Milan on December 18th and to hold the project midterm meeting on December 19th and 20th in Biella. 

Full press release January 19, 2019

Meeting Life-Flarex 12-06-2018 group portrait

LIFE-FLAREX team during the 3rd project meeting in Brussels

LIFE-FLAREX is a LIFE Programme project that aims to reduce the impact on the environment, human health and workers’ safety, of current harmful Flame Retardants used in the textile industry and their alternatives, by analyzing their environmental impact and technical functionalities and promoting the best practices for the sector.

On Wednesday June 6th 2018, the LIFE-FLAREX consortium held its 3rd biannual project meeting in Brussels at the delegation of the Catalan Government in the EU. On this occasion, the project welcomed the project monitor from NEEMO, the external support service to the EASME for the LIFE programme.

full press release of  June 12th, 2018