Trying to avoid all the controversy around the use of DecaBDE (Deca) as a fire retardant in its pallets, Orbis Corp. (www.orbiscorporation.com) has been testing a Deca substitute to replace the current additive used in its fire retardant pallets. Orbis has obtained approval of its new fire retardant from Factory Mutual Insurance (FM). Securing approval from FM is an important step to show insurance providers that a plastic pallet will not cause greater fire risk than a wooden pallet.
According to a company statement, effective immediately, all Orbis FM-approved pallets can be manufactured using this new additive. Orbis did not release specifics about the chemical it has switched to although it will be available for more than 20 pallet designs.
“ORBIS is dedicated to developing solutions that work for companies across a variety of industries. Our pursuit of this material, and its subsequent approval by Factory Mutual, puts our reusable plastic pallets at the forefront of the industry,” says Andrea Nottestad, marketing manager, consumer goods. “As deca-bromine comes under continued scrutiny, we are proud to offer the industry the first approved deca-bromine free solution for fire-retardant pallets.”
This is the first major plastic pallet manufacturer to adopt a Deca replacement for its product line. This new retardant will be used in Orbis’ popular RackoCell, Stack’R and Structo-Cell offerings. It shows that plastic pallet companies are trying to distance themselves from the Deca issue while trying to keep from making an issue of the millions of Deca-based pallets on the market.
