Kevin Bradley, secretary general of the International Bromine Council (BSEF, Brussels / Belgium; www.bsef.com), spoke to Plasteurope.com at the European Masterbatchers and Compounders' (EuMBC, Brussels; www.compounders.eu) conference on 16 May 2019 in Brussels – see Plasteurope.com of 29.05.2019. He was one of the speakers at the event, where he presented the BSEF's updated code of best practices, the "Voluntary Emission Control Action Program" (Vecap). The code aims to reduce potential emissions of flame retardants by promoting good practices for polymer additives producers and users, including compounders, textile formulators and masterbatch manufacturers.

Plasteurope.com: In 2018, it was decided to update Vecap. What are the main updates in BSEF's programme?

Bradley: The principle updates concern the reinforcement of the central messages – control, reduce and continuously improve. Vecap is not a one-off exercise. It is change of behaviour towards managing chemical additives, so reinforcing the messages is critical.

Plasteurope.com: There are plans to have Vecap translated into other languages. Which ones exactly, and how was this decided?

Bradley: Within Europe, BSEF will move quickly to have the code translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish as a first exercise. We will discuss with EuMBC what other languages they consider important and work on from there. We want the code to be accessible, so translation is vital if workers on site are to use it or have access to its messages and good practice tips.

Plasteurope.com: You mentioned that the Vecap programme could be used as a model for best-practice codes in other industries. What other plastics sectors could you recommend this for?

Bradley: All plastics sectors. Polymer additives are used widely across many sectors. The most common additives are pigments/colours as well as stabilisers. The Vecap code would work equally for them too. It is not exclusive to flame retardants.

Plasteurope.com: Thank you very much.

The International Bromine Council

BSEF is the bromine producers' association. It works with a variety of national, regional and international networks of downstream use associations to develop, promote and support the use of bromine and bromine-based technologies. Among other things, the council promotes the safe use and handling of bromine and supports the "Responsible Care" approach of the global chemical industry. The members of BSEF are Albemarle, ICL Industrial Products, Lanxess and Tosoh. The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), Flame Retardants Europe and the American Chemistry Council are also partners of the association. The Vecap programme was created by BSEF in 2004 to give industry clear guidance for managing emissions of polymer additives during polymers production. The code includes four main elements: storage, opening and emptying bags and bulk containers, ventilation and operational process efficiency to reduce waste and emissions. It has been disseminated in other regions outside of Europe, including China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan.