In addition to investing heavily in the development of environmentally friendly flame retardants, bioresins and/or natural fibers are increasingly being used to produce more sustainable composites. These are called biocomposites in which at least one component (matrix or reinforcement) has a biological origin.

However, the main challenge that biocomposites overcome is the flammability of bioresins (as with traditional resins) and natural fibers during use. In order to meet the stringent safety requirements and regulations of certain industries, such as the transportation or construction industry (UNE-EN 45545 for the railway industry or UNE-EN 13501-1 for the construction industry), flame retardant properties are improved, while maintaining other important characteristics such as mechanical and thermal performance, and considering other issues such as health risks, environmental risks, water treatment and recycling.

Therefore, there is a need in the industry for new environmentally friendly composite materials using bio-based materials and flame retardant systems. To this end, the Plastics Materials Research Association (AIMPLAS) is developing different studies and projects to try to solve this challenge in the field of composite materials.

Some of the European projects in this regard are: PHOENIX (a synergistic combination of high-performance flame retardants based on nano-layered hybrid particles, which is an alternative to halogen flame retardants),NATURTRUCK (new biocomposite materials from Europe, with Improved heat resistance and fire resistance of renewable resources to manufacture truck interior parts with high-quality surface finish),KARMA2020 (obtain bio-based polymers, flame retardants, fertilizers with sustainable KeRatin-based materials), or MAT4RAIL (Designing the Railway of the Future: Fireproof Composites and Intelligent Module Design).

On the other hand, AIMPLAS cooperates with the Textile Research Institute (AITEX) on the PYROS project, which is financed by the Valencia Institute for Business Competitiveness (IVACE) and the ERDF fund. Its main objective is to develop sustainable, highly fire-resistant composite materials for technical applications in the public transport and construction markets. An important aspect of the project is to improve fire performance through the use of flame retardants.