US flame retardant formulations company Alexium says it is working on Oeko-Tex 100 certification for its halogen-free Alexiflam SYN series of FR chemistry for polyester, nylon and synthetic-rich blended textile fibre fabrics. John Mowbray reports from Frankfurt.
"Our formulations are free of formaldehyde, heavy metals and halogens," Julie Patrick, marketing manager for Alexium told Ecotextile News. "These products are fully REACH compliant and we are now in the process of applying for Oeko-Tex 100 standard for this range of products.
Alexium’s flame retardant technology for synthetic fabrics is based on a charring mechanism that extinguishes the flame while preventing any melting or dripping. This charring technique is usually based on phosphorous flame retardant technology.
"The SYN series is specifically for polyester, acrylic and nylon fabrics and blends," said Patrick. "Previously had an issue with 100 per cent nylon in terms of durability, but can now treat this fabric with this new eco-friendly FR treatment. We have fully perfected this." The main issue being that with 100 per cent nylon more FR chemical was needed to treat the fibres, which obviously added to the overall production costs.
"We now have durability with up to 50 launderings on 100 per cent nylon and it is durable and still has the same level of performance as blends," she noted.
