Halogen free packaging materials

The move to halogen-free systems is driven both by legislators trying to ban these products, particularly in Scandinavia, by product labeling (such as the "Blue Angel" label in Germany), and by market forces as consumer OEMs move to produce products perceived as more environmentally friendly. There is however some disagreement on the realistic environmental threat presented by these products and the rate and extent of implementation is uncertain. Halogen-containing flame retardant systems such as TBBA have proved extremely effective and economical in the past and the move from these vapor-phase flame retardants to char-promoting and other systems can produce real processing, cost and property penalties. The paper reviews the major flame retardant systems and their applicability to organic substrate materials and molding compounds and draws conclusions on processing, properties and economics.