Today we launch our latest report ‘Plugging the chemical transparency gap for a safer circular economy – furniture supply chains’.
This new report highlights the urgent need for increased chemical transparency throughout furniture supply chains to ensure safe and sustainable product design, manufacture and end of life disposal.
Drawing on case studies from different furniture supply chain stakeholders, the report highlights how the continued unnecessary use of chemical flame retardants in UK furniture and lack of chemical transparency presents challenges in achieving safe product design and circularity, while posing a risk to human and environmental health.
Read the full report
Sustainable fire safety in a circular economy
Chemical flame retardants (CFRs) are extensively used in UK furniture products for compliance with current UK Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) regulations (FFRs) 1. The ongoing use of harmful CFRs in UK furniture (including mattresses) at high levels compared to other developed countries, alongside limited chemical information sharing, poses a risk to public and environmental health, undermines a safe circular economy and fuels the biodiversity and climate change crises 2–4. Furthermore, fire statistics suggest that the FFRs are ineffective in protecting the UK public from domestic fire risks. Paradoxically the FFRs and use of CFRs contribute to domestic fire victim and firefighter mortality rates by exacerbating smoke toxicity. The UK government must urgently update regulations to reduce the use of CFRs, promote innovative product design and enforce chemical transparency throughout furniture supply chains.
The need for chemical transparency
Full chemical information sharing throughout furniture supply chains allows manufacturers and retailers to make informed decisions regarding their products and ensures important chemical information is available to waste stakeholders for the safe reuse, recycling, repurposing and disposal of products when they reach end of life. The UK’s current FFRs do not enforce chemical transparency for furniture products, making the safe recycling and disposal of furniture challenging and increasing the resource burden on local authorities and waste managers. Through chemical transparency solutions such as dynamic digital labelling, important chemical information can be made available throughout furniture supply chains.
Chemical transparency across furniture supply chains
Our latest report compiles four case studies from across the furniture supply chain, from manufacturers to waste handlers. Case study topics are:
- Why chemical transparency is crucial for a safe circular economy
- How innovative design can help reduce reliance on CFRs
- The role of certification schemes in improving industry standards and chemical management.
- The challenges CFRs pose to the waste sector and achieving a circular economy
Case Studies Overview
- Innovative mattress manufacturers eliminate chemical flame retardants from their products: As one of the UK’s largest mattress manufacturers; Silentnight have committed to reducing the use of CFRs in their mattress and bed products through innovation and sustainable design. However, the current lack of chemical transparency and outdated fire safety regulations pose challenges.
- How can a certification scheme improve chemical transparency and reduce the use of chemical flame retardants in mattresses?: Find out the important role third-party certification schemes can have, alongside strong regulation, in improving industry standards, chemical transparency and reducing the use of chemical flame retardants in the UK.
- POPs in UK Waste Upholstered Domestic Seating and addressing the chemical burden placed on waste processors: The presence of now banned legacy CFRs in furniture entering waste streams represents a challenge and resource burden for local authorities complying with safe disposal rulings. Learn how full chemical transparency and extended producer responsibility schemes can help prevent such situations reoccurring into the future and ensure safe and sustainable end of life processing of furniture.
- Chemical transparency – A critical component for the utilisation of products and materials being repurposed and recycled: Each year the majority of waste UK mattresses will be sent to landfill. A lack of chemical information available at the end of life hinders safe and sustainable recycling. The Furniture Recycling Group has been working to ensure circularity is at the forefront of waste mattress management. Learn how innovation in the waste sector, chemical labelling and extended producer responsibility schemes can increase safe product circularity.
Calling for change
To reduce the reliance on harmful chemical flame retardants, increase chemical transparency throughout furniture supply chains, and deliver sustainable fire safety in the UK, Fidra is asking:
- Policy makers update UK furniture and furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 to enforce product chemical labelling and meaningfully reduce the reliance on chemical flame retardants.
- Producers of furniture flammability standards that support the UK’s regulations revise ineffective outdated testing requirements to enable sustainable fire safety and circularity through innovative and intelligent product design.
- Furniture manufacturers and retailers commit to improving product sustainability and circularity by reducing harmful chemical flame retardant use and achieving fire safety through innovative product design and use of natural non-toxic alternatives.
- Stakeholders from across the furniture supply chain support the enforcement of effective chemical labelling. Chemical transparency will improve chemical management practices and ensure that consumers, manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and waste operators have information on chemical flame retardants used in furniture products and materials.
Read the full report ‘Plugging the chemical transparency gap for a safer circular economy – furniture and furnishings supply chains’ – Available now
Learn more about Fidra’s Sustainable Fire Safety project
References
- UK Government (1988) The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 legislation.gov.uk .
- Fidra (2023) Managing Chemicals of Concern within a Circular Economy: The Impacts and Solutions for Chemical Flame Retardant Use in UK Mattresses An Evidence Review by Fidra Retrieved online April 4, 2025 from: https://www.fidra.org.uk/download/circular-economy-chemicals/.
- Fidra (2025) Safe and Circular: How Controls on Chemicals Enable a Circular Economy Retrieved online March 5, 2025 from: https://www.fidra.org.uk/download/circular-economy-chemicals/.
- Page J, Whaley P, Bellingham M, Birnbaum LS, Cavoski A, Fetherston Dilke D, Garside R, Harrad S, Kelly F, Kortenkamp A, Martin O, Stec A, & Woolley T (2023) A new consensus on reconciling fire safety with environmental & health impacts of chemical flame retardants Environ Int, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107782.