Highly flammable building construction materials and toxic flame retardants commonly found in furniture are set to be made redundant by eco-friendly, non-toxic, durable flame retardants developed with the assistance of Commonwealth funding, announced by Assistant Minster for Science, Jobs and Innovation, Zed Seselja, at UNSW Sydney today.
The Development of an Advanced Fire Retardant for Polymers and Textiles Project will receive $3 million under the fifth round of the Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) Program, and has attracted almost $8 million of cash and in-kind contributions from industry and university stakeholders.
The results of the project will be an industry first – flame retardant products that are also eco-friendly.
Assistant Minister Zed Seselja said the project had the potential to support and add value to the Australian manufacturing industry.
“In Australia, fire safety is of utmost importance for the protection of life, property and the environment. Being able to better integrate fire retardant into everyday materials will not only increase the safety of Australians, but add a competitive edge to Australian manufacturers who are able to utilise this technology.
“Flame Security International and UNSW, along with their partners, are undertaking innovative research here in Sydney to develop non-toxic flame retardants for building and household items,” Assistant Minister Seselja said.
The CRC Program aims to foster high quality research to solve industry-identified problems through industry-led and outcome-focused collaborative research partnerships between industry entities and research organisations.
“The CRC-P Program helps businesses, industries and research organisations to work together on short-term projects to develop practical solutions to challenges in key industry sectors,” Assistant Minister Seselja said.