In this series of reports, WTiN will provide information about fire-retardant materials innovation and challenges for personal protective equipment (PPE) applications.

Here, in Part I of the report, an introduction to the combustion process and the importance of understanding the degradation of fibres and fabrics exposed to heat or flames is given. This will lead to a description of fire-retardant chemicals as well as fibres and fabrics used in PPE, outlining how they differ in regard to chemical structure and the additives and finishes applied to them during their manufacture.

In Part II of this report, a market overview and the key general drivers of innovation and development in the heat and flame-retardant fibres, fabrics and chemicals market will be discussed. In addition, the properties important for flame-retardant fabrics used for PPE will be listed together with regulations and the challenges of toxicity, sustainability and cost.

In Part III, available technologies and recent innovations in FR materials will be discussed, and some examples of commercial products already on the market will be reported. This will be complemented with a brief overview of the mentioned companies and brands as well as new developments from academia.