^{Joint News Release}
BASF and THOR GmbH fight fire together

• Leverage combined expertise in flame retardant additives
• High-performance flame retardant solutions help converters meet stringent regulatory standards

BASF and THOR GmbH are combining their expertise in non-halogenated flame retardant additives to provide customers with a comprehensive solution that will enhance the sustainability and performance for specific plastic compounds, as well as meet stringent fire safety requirements.

Flame retardancy is an essential element for plastic components or composites which are commonly used in transportation, construction, household, and industrial applications, as accidental heat and flame exposure can lead to serious damage and endanger lives. The growing demand from the global construction and automotive industry combined with stricter fire safety standards will significantly influence demand for sustainable flame retardant chemicals.

The experts at THOR and in plastic additives at BASF have collaborated for many years in developing sophisticated solutions to meet the demanding flame retardant specifications focusing on alternatives to halogen containing additives.

Both parties are active members of the Phosphorus, Inorganic and Nitrogen Flame Retardants Association PINFA and work closely to deliver sustainable polymeric systems that withstand ignition and fire propagation during their service life.

The combined expertise in flame retardant additives provides customers and end-users with information highlighting the synergistic benefits of BASF’s halogen-free flame retardant Flamestab^® with THOR’s phosphonates AFLAMMIT^® technologies, for polyolefins which is typically a challenging flame resistance application.

“A thorough and multidimensional assessment of an additive solution is essential to shorten the time to market. The closer our suggested formulations are to the requirements of the end-users, the shorter the development time and costs for our customers. At THOR, we work continuously on improving our flame retardants and their performance in the desired plastics compounds. Depending on the market needs, a huge variety of fire safety standards are available for testing our own developed flame retardant formulations. As a service, our project partners, such as BASF, provide us with newly formulated plastics films, molded or extruded specimens for evaluation of performance,” explains Armin Eckert, BU-Head of Performance Chemicals, THOR GmbH.

“Providing superior fire safety to a plastic part while maintaining other characteristics such as mechanical performance and light stability is a real challenge,” explains Dr. Achim Sties, Senior Vice President, Performance Chemicals Europe, BASF. “BASF technical experts are hard at work to provide solutions to meet our customers’ requirements and leverage our strong experience and network to respond with cost effective and sustainable technological solutions. Together with THOR, we focus on technical combinations that help shorten the journey for a formulator or a converter to reach their flame retardancy target and progress efficiently towards certification in a complex norm and testing environment.”

About BASF Plastic Additives

BASF is a leading supplier, manufacturer, and innovation partner of plastic additives. Its comprehensive and innovative product portfolio includes additives which provide ease in processing, heat and light resistance to a variety of polymers and applications including molded articles, films, fibers, sheets and extruded profiles. The portfolio is constantly analyzed, assessed and actively improved towards solutions which make a larger contribution to sustainability. More information about plastic additives: www.plasticadditives.basf.com.

BASF plastic additives is part of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division. The division’s portfolio also includes fuel and lubricant solutions, kaolin minerals, as well as oilfield chemicals and mining solutions. Customers from a variety of industries including Chemicals, Plastics, Consumer Goods, Energy & Resources and Automotive & Transportation benefit from our innovative solutions. To learn more, visit www.performancechemicals.basf.com. 

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About THOR GmbH

Thor's activities centre on the production and supply of a wide range of biocides, flame retardants and personal care ingredients. Our technical expertise and experience has firmly established Thor as a leading manufacturer of isothiazolinone based biocides and an acknowledged world leader in the development of flame retardant chemicals. Our extensive range of personal care products have been specially designed to meet the exacting standards demanded by this industry. Thor today is truly multinational. Our Group headquarters are located in the UK with prime manufacturing plants and technical facilities in Germany, Mexico and China. Further production units and operating companies are strategically located worldwide. Thor’s extensive global network ensures not only rapid delivery, but also places Thor's unrivalled technical support within easy reach of all markets. More information about Thor, visit www.thor.com.

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