The European Commission entrusts AIMPLAS with coordinating a pilot Substitution Centre to guide the transition to safer flame‑retardant alternatives
AIMPLAS has been selected by the European Commission to lead the new HEFESTOS Hub, a European-funded initiative designed to support the transition away from Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) towards safer and more sustainable alternatives. The initiative will focus on key industrial sectors such as construction, automotive, cables, and other strategic applications. Promoted and financed by the European Commission and awarded to AIMPLAS through a competitive tender, HEFESTOS will act as a pilot cooperation framework to explore the feasibility of a future EU-level Substitution Centre focused on brominated flame retardants.
BFRs have been widely used for decades to meet fire safety requirements in construction, automotive, cables, and other polymer-intensive applications. However, growing evidence of their persistence, toxicity, and potential for bioaccumulation has increased the urgency to accelerate their substitution. Although many companies have already begun exploring alternatives, their efforts to find replacements have failed to gain traction: inconsistent methodologies, limited access to reliable data, and the lack of a secure environment for cross-sector collaboration keep these efforts scattered and without a common direction
HEFESTOS aims to address these barriers by developing and testing a harmonised, transparent and science‑based framework that enables structured information exchange while fully respecting confidentiality and EU competition law. As coordinator of the initiative, AIMPLAS will act as an independent technical secretariat, facilitating collaboration among industrial stakeholders, research organisations, regulators and other relevant actors. HEFESTOS does not impose obligations or regulatory requirements; instead, it provides a structured and trusted space where organisations can contribute knowledge, share insights and participate in the identification of safer alternatives.
The initiative will generate a consolidated evidence base on BFR uses, alternatives and value chains; identify technical and information gaps; and support the development of a European BFR Substitution Action Roadmap. This roadmap will outline realistic and coordinated pathways for substitution, ensuring that industry perspectives from across the value chain are adequately represented.
Participation in HEFESTOS is open to stakeholders across the value chain, including industry, research organisations, standardisation bodies and regulators. Organisations joining the Hub will do so under a standardised onboarding process that includes a Non‑Disclosure Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding, guaranteeing a secure and competition‑compliant environment. Once onboarded, participants will be able to contribute through interviews, questionnaires, technical meetings and discussions on priority applications, and may also engage in pilot actions or voluntary pledges supporting the transition to safer alternatives. In addition, participating organisations will have the opportunity to feature their logo and relevant initiatives on the HEFESTOS website, reinforcing their visibility and commitment to sustainable and safe chemical management.
HEFESTOS represents a significant step towards building a coordinated European approach to hazardous chemical substitution, reinforcing industrial resilience while advancing the objectives of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Through its leadership, AIMPLAS will contribute to shaping a future system that enables consistent, evidence‑based and collaborative progress across sectors.
For more information or to join the HEFESTOS Hub, organisations can express their interest through the dedicated project website: www.hefestoshub.com.
