Kingfisher Eliminates Critical Chemicals from Its Products

In the future, Kingfisher, a British home-improvement company, wants to remove phthalates,
polyflourinated hydrocarbons, and halogenated flame retardants from its house-brand products and replace them with non-critical chemicals. According to the company’s Sustainable Growth Plan, these materials should disappear from the supply chain by 2025. As a follow-up, they should then disappear entirely from the supply chain for all products. The company made the announcement in a press release on January 23.

Kingfisher took this step because the three groups of chemicals are harmful to the environment and are used in many building materials, such as paints, textiles, and PVC flooring. In its press release, the company emphasized that it is going beyond the requirements of REACH. Yes, it is eliminating the chemicals already regulated by REACH: PFOA, the halogenated flame retardant DecaBDE, and phthalates DEHP and DIBP. But moreover, it is also prohibiting other substances in the groups that do not fall under the requirements of REACH but that can be assumed to have similar harmful effects.

Kingfisher operates more than 1,200 locations in 10 European countries, Russia, and Turkey. It operates until the retail brands B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt und Screwfix.

See the Kingfisher Web site for more detailed information on its sustainability strategy.

Products must be safe. If you have any questions about regulatory chemical compliance, we are pleased to provide answers and advice at reach@kft.de.