Irish Furniture Flammability Rules Revoked
Following the Irish Government's July announcement to revoke the Industrial Research and Standards (Fire Safety) (Domestic Furniture) Order 1995 and align its furniture safety requirements with the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), we would like to set out our position clearly for our customers and partners.
No compromise on safety.
Ireland's flammability testing requirements have changed, our obligations as a manufacturer have not. As a UK-based manufacturer supplying customers across both the UK and Ireland, we remain fully responsible for demonstrating that every product we place on the market is safe, properly documented and backed by robust technical evidence and ongoing product-safety controls, regardless of which specific regulation applies in a given market.
Irish Minister, Peter Burke, has confirmed that products already lawfully supplied into Ireland do not need to be withdrawn as a result of this change, provided they continue to meet the GPSR and all other applicable legal requirements. Our current UK-compliant specification already does so and we will keep maintaining the documentation and evidence base needed to support that.
We are also monitoring the UK Government's own review of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, which is expected to move towards an approach based on smoulder resistance while reducing reliance on chemical flame retardants. Until the Government confirms its final position and timetable, we will continue to manufacture to our current, fully compliant specification. Should a new UK approach be adopted, we will carry out a carefully managed transition rather than a rushed one.
Responsible manufacturing, not a race to change.
We support the direction of change here, reducing unnecessary reliance on chemical flame retardants, where it can be done safely and without compromising performance, is a positive step and we are exploring lower-impact alternatives that maintain a high standard of fire performance.
Removing or reducing chemical treatments without the engineering, materials science and testing to back it up does not make a product safer or better value — it simply shifts risk onto the customer and, ultimately, the end user. We will not treat this regulatory change as a shortcut and we would encourage our customers to be cautious of any supplier who does.
A reduction in prescriptive testing requirements is not a reduction in a manufacturer's responsibility for fire and product safety.
Our approach remains what it has always been: high-quality, responsible manufacturing in the UK, working alongside top-tier, quality-assured suppliers, and making changes to our materials and specification only where the evidence supports it. We believe that is the only responsible way to respond to this kind of regulatory change and we will continue to monitor developments in both Irish and UK legislation and keep our customers informed as the position evolves.
G. J. Ainsworth – Development Director
