Furniture fire safety proposals update issued

Following an earlier consultation, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has shared an update on new proposals for the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings

As previously reported by the FPA, in August 2023, the new approach suggested by OPSS included fire safety protections for consumers by addressing modern-day domestic hazards and introducing new safety requirements alongside the current Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (FFRs). A key focus of the then government’s ‘Smarter Regulation’ programme was to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants (CFRs) in upholstered furniture without compromising on fire safety, and the FPA, aided by environmental charity Fidra and the University of Central Lancashire, drew up a response to the proposed regulatory changes.

You can view FPA Technical Director George Edwardes’ article on this topic here.

Tying in the responses received from that consultation, a policy paper published on 22 January 2025 offers an update for stakeholders on the government’s intended next steps, including the implementation of a new regulatory approach that will see “robust essential safety requirements (that) better reflect the safety of products as they exist in the modern home by preventing or delaying ignition when a product is exposed to relevant ignition sources”. Additionally, “more thought” will be given to the viability of a Flame-Retardant Technology Hierarchy (FRTH) to support the reduction in CFR use and “facilitate innovative ways of producing fire safe furniture”.

With the government expressing its commitment to “delivering reforms that maintain a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants”, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition, and Markets, Justin Madders MP said in his ministerial foreword that he was pleased to be sharing “important changes to update the FFRs” and “paving the way for a new approach that ensures the UK continues to have the strongest product safety standards for domestic upholstered furniture”.

“Our reforms must be ambitious and reconcile complex and competing challenges, to keep consumers safe,” he stated.

Specifically, the paper address six themes within the furniture fire safety sphere: defining responsibilities, scope, and definitions; product compliance requirements; information provision (product labelling and technical documentation); re-upholstery and second-hand; implementation, enforcement, and statutory review; and impacts.

Two of the three immediate actions to amend the FFRs include removing the requirement for manufacturers to affix a display label to new products, reflecting the limited value of the display label, and extending the time frame for instituting legal proceedings from 6 to 12 months, providing the right tools for effective enforcement.

Seeking to provide businesses with the certainty they need to invest, OPSS reiterated: “It is the government’s intention to ensure that obligations reflect businesses’ responsibilities, are proportionate and that they are brought in line with other product safety legislation. Powers that we are seeking to take through the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable us to update the product safety regulatory framework, to take account of modern and global supply chains, including online marketplaces. Following passage, we will ensure the furniture fire safety requirements are consistent with the approach taken across the framework.”

Commenting on the policy paper, George Edwardes said: “The FPA fully supports the efforts to reduce the use of chemical fire retardants without compromising fire safety. However, we are still concerned that the proposals do not go far enough in incentivising a reduction in toxic chemicals.”

He noted that the presence of chemical fire retardants on the display label was the FPA’s preferred stance: “We initially had concerns that the proposed labelling system might be unclear for consumers. If a label simply states that a product contains chemical fire retardants, will consumers understand that this is negative? These concerns have grown with the recent update indicating that the display label may be further simplified. In the immediate term, the label is being removed entirely.”

George added: “The proposal to introduce a Flame-Retardant Technology Hierarchy (FRTH) is still being considered and may not be retained. While we supported this initiative, we are concerned that the presence of a chemical hierarchy is not enough to drive manufacturers toward using less toxic alternatives. It is worrying to hear that the government is considering abandoning this proposal, despite broad stakeholder support.

“Overall, we supported the initial proposal, although we were concerned the regulations would not have enough impact. This latest update implies that they might make the regulations even less impactful. These are just considerations at this stage, and we will have to await further information to understand what the final version will look like.”

In the coming months, OPSS is expected to work with stakeholders “to refine a number of key proposals to ensure that new legislation delivers the intended outcomes for both consumers and businesses”, with an update to be issued later in 2025 setting out the government’s “final position on the remaining issues highlighted” and “a roadmap for implementing changes”.

You can view the full policy paper here.