The industry-based Voluntary Emissions Control Action Programme (VECAP) has published an annual report, in which it claims that potential emissions from plants producing or using brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in Europe “were significantly reduced” last year. This, it said, was “mainly thanks to the application of VECAP best practices”.

Calculating ‘worst case’ scenarios of potential emissions from plastics and textiles processes, the report found that potential emissions to air, land and water of decabromodiphenyl ether (deca-BDE) in Europe fell from 3,432 kg to 1,220 kg between 2008 and 2009. Those of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) fell from 815 kg to 189 and from 2,017 to 309 respectively.

The VECAP programme now covers 135 sites, which account for 85% of the total volume of these three BFRs in Europe, having grown from an initial 80 in six countries. During 2009, VECAP also established a year-on-year methodology for comparing potential emissions, launched a certification scheme with three sites certified so far, and begun a programme targeting the disposal of industrial chemical packaging, which is the main source of potential emissions.

BFRs remain in the sights of environmental NGOs and the VECAP is one of a number of rearguard actions the industry is taking to defend them. HBCDD and all of its major identified diastereoisomers are on the EChA’s Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern requiring Authorisation under REACH, while decaBDE’s status under the EU Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances has yet to be resolved.

In December 2009, the three main suppliers of decaBDE into the US market reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be phased out by the end of 2103, despite continuing to defend its safety record. Two other PBDEs, penta- and octaBDE, are both being phased out on either side of the Atlantic.