Date Launched: June 18, 2025
Public Consultation Period: June 18 – August 13, 2025
Regulatory Context: Proposal to list TBPH in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has initiated a public consultation on the proposed global ban of bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), a flame retardant used in flexible plastics. If adopted, the listing would require worldwide elimination of the substance under the Stockholm Convention.
About TBPH
Full Name: Bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate
Common Uses:
• Flame retardant in plastics, electronics, and consumer products
• Often used as a replacement for banned PBDEs
Hazard Profile:
• Persistent and resistant to environmental breakdown
• Bioaccumulative in wildlife and humans
• Toxic to liver, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems
• Exhibits long-range environmental transport, impacting distant ecosystems
Purpose of the Consultation
ECHA is soliciting feedback from industry, NGOs, scientists, and the public on:
• Current applications and industrial dependency on TBPH
• Feasibility of alternatives (technical and economic viability)
• Environmental and health impacts
• Socio-economic implications of a global ban
🗓️ Deadline to Submit Comments: August 13, 2025
🔗 Submit via ECHA POPs Consultation Portal
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Strategic Impact
This proposal underscores the EU’s ongoing effort to eliminate legacy and replacement flame retardants that present high environmental and health risks. Inclusion in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention would trigger mandatory global elimination, making early substitution planning a critical business priority.
Reference: ECHA – Proposals for New POPs
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