The Challenge

Vermont State has proposed to regulate the use of flame retardants that appears in children’s product and residential upholstered furniture.

• Starting from 1 July 2013, no person except retailer shall manufacture or sell any children’s product or residential upholstered furniture that contains “Tris” in an amount >50 ppm.
• Starting from 1 July 2014, retailer shall not sell any children’s product or residential upholstered furniture containing “Tris” in an amount >50 ppm.

Under this proposal:

1.  “Children’s product” means a consumer product:

• Marketed for use by children under 12 years of age; or
• Reasonably foreseeable to be used by a child under 12 years of age.

2.  “Residential upholstered furniture” means furniture intended for personal use that includes cushioning material covered by fabric or similar material.

3.  “Tris” means tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) or tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (TCPP).

Note:
Recently, Washington State has proposed similar bills to regulate the use of flame retardants in children’s product and residential upholstered furniture. For details, please click here to have a quick review.

The Solution

Intertek, through our extensive global network, has a variety of services available to help you overcome the challenges related to flame retardant in various products. We offer comprehensive programs and services which draw on our industry specific knowledge and technical expertise.