Draft update to BAT will require consideration of substitution of brominated flame retardants for textiles finishing. Under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), EU Best Available Techniques (BAT) specifications, where defined, are legally applicable to all concerned industry installations in Europe. pinfa made detailed input to the process of updating the textiles industry BAT reference document (BREF) in 2020 (see pinfa Newsletter n°114). The current BREF dates from 2003. The updated textiles industry BAT BREF, which is expected to be adopted at the IED Forum in May 2022, now includes a new requirement (BAT 50) that flame retardants used for finishing be selected considering associated risks, in particular of persistence and toxicity, and “potential for substitution (e.g. of brominated flame retardants)“ and (BAT 14) that a Chemical Management System (as part of EMS) be in place for the whole textile process including regular analysis of potential for substitution of “safer alternatives to the use of (groups of) hazardous substances and substances of very high concern, such as PFAS, phthalates, brominated flame retardants, chromium-(VI)-containing substances”. The proposed update also requires (BAT 7) monitoring of emissions to water of brominated FRs, (BAT 14) waste water treatment to remove organophosphorus and brominated FRs and (BAT 30) separate collection of wastes containing hazardous or of-concern organophosphorus or brominated FRs.
EU IED BAT reference documents (JRC – IPPC Bureau) https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/
March 2022 draft updated Textiles Industry BAT Reference Document https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2022-03/TXT_Final_draft_B-W.pdf
Expert Group on the exchange of information on Best Available Techniques related to industrial emissions (IED Article 13 Forum) https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=2611