PLANETS @ ACS Fire and Polymers 2026 (17-20.05.2026, San Diego, California, US)
From 17 to 20 May 2026, the ACS Fire and Polymers 2026 workshop took place at the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, California, USA. Organised by the Division of Polymer Chemistry (POLY) of the American Chemical Society, the event brought together around 80 experts from chemistry, materials science and fire safety to discuss the latest advances and remaining challenges in this multidisciplinary field.
The workshop covered topics ranging from applied chemistry and chemical structure–property relationships to materials science and fire safety engineering, providing a valuable forum for researchers, industry representatives and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge and explore new approaches to fire-safe materials.
Carl-Christoph Höhne from Fraunhofer ICT represented the PLANETS project at the event with an oral presentation focusing on the project’s work on Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) flame retardants. Entitled “Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design Flame Retardants for Insulation Foams“, his presentation highlighted the need to move from SSbD concepts and guidelines towards their practical implementation in research and development. It introduced the PLANETS approach, which aims to develop practical and cost-efficient SSbD strategies covering the entire lifecycle of materials, from molecular design and formulation through to recycling and end-of-life management. A particular focus was placed on the PLANETS Flame Retardant case study, where a tiered assessment approach is being applied to support the development of safer and more sustainable flame retardant alternatives for insulation foams. The presentation showed current results from the development of several classes of SSbD flame retardants by academic and industrial partners. These alternatives are being investigated for different foam applications, including thermoplastic foams such as expandable polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polyethylene (XPE), as well as thermoset foams such as polyurethane (PU) and polyisocyanurate (PIR).
The participation in ACS Fire and Polymers 2026 provided PLANETS with an opportunity to present its research to an international audience and to contribute to discussions on the future of safe, sustainable and high-performing flame-retardant materials. The event further strengthened the project’s engagement with the scientific and industrial communities working with polymers, fire safety and sustainability.
