At the SSbD25 Conference in Zurich (10–12 November 2025), the BIOSAFIRE consortium presented a new scientific poster titled “The BIOSAFIRE project: application of the JRC’s SSbD framework for the development of new bio-based flame retardants.”
The poster summarises how BIOSAFIRE is integrating the Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) principles into the development of a new generation of flame retardants (FRs) based on lignins and tannins.
Why new flame retardants are needed
Conventional flame retardants—especially halogenated ones—are associated with environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential health risks. Several of these substances have already been restricted or phased out under REACH and the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
At the same time, alternative solutions currently on the market often lack complete safety data.
This leads to a clear need for verified, safer, and sustainable flame-retardant materials.
From lab to real applications
The poster also presents the roadmap for testing the new flame retardants in five use cases across four industrial sectors, including:
- railway,
- naval,
- wood coatings,
- household appliances.
The new materials will be compared with existing benchmarks to demonstrate improvements in safety and sustainability.
Read the full poster to explore the methodology, expected results, and detailed working plan of BIOSAFIRE:
Growing SSbD Community
The SSbD25 Conference, organized by the IRISS SSbD Community, once again served as a key meeting point for experts across Europe and beyond. Discussions emphasized the importance of collaborative research and the need for practical tools and frameworks to implement SSbD in real-world applications. BIOSAFIRE’s presence at the event contributed to this wider dialogue, reinforcing the project’s role in shaping safer and more sustainable innovation pathways.
Stay tuned for further insights from the BIOSAFIRE project!
What is BIOSAFIRE all about?
BIOSAFIRE will develop and upscale innovative products upgrading nature’s best fire retardants (FRs): lignins and tannins. To ensure that these novel products are safe and sustainable, while retaining their desired technological functionality, they will be thoroughly assessed by applying the SSbD framework at different stages of their development and the results will be iteratively fed into the further design and optimisation of the technologies. Involving the full material value chain, these flame retardants will be upscaled to TRL7 and demonstrated in five different applications.
Excited for the journey ahead and the positive impact we’ll create together!
