Written question asked by Baroness Berger (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 August 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Furniture: Incinerators

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of requiring sofas and other furniture containing persistent organic pollutants to be incinerated at 800°C alongside clinical waste as per Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Answer

There is a growing concern about the health and environmental impacts of some chemical flame retardants, including tris(chloropropyl) phosphate. In June 2025, the Environment Agency published a scoping review of flame retardants relevant to the GB market. This year the Health and Safety Executive added several flame retardants to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern, signalling their potential for further regulatory control.

There is a growing body of evidence to support action to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants used to enable upholstered furniture to pass flammability tests set out in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade recently ran a consultation on a set of policy proposals that aim to maintain a high level of fire safety, while meaningfully reducing the reliance on chemical flame retardants.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL2388
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Environment protection EU law Furniture Incinerators Pollution Waste disposal
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Furniture: Incinerators

Secondary information

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