The safe choice the Swedes made ten years ago

In Sweden, all commercial and public buildings have low fire hazard cables.

Demand for low fire hazard (LFH) cables is increasing in new build and refurbishment projects. Technical building requirements, environmental certifications and sustainability goals are driving this transition forward.  

Still, Norway is far behind our neighbours - especially Sweden. Here, all public and commercial buildings are equipped with LFH-cables.  

The phasing out of cables with halogens and PVC began in 2008 in Sweden, nine years before there were any regulations for it. Nexans was one of the driving forces behind the transition.

More environmentally friendly with Low Fire Hazard cables

Sustainability Manager Jenny Nyström and Product Manager Aron Andersson - both at Nexans Sweden - have been on the journey all the way.  

Phthalates are chemical compounds used as plasticisers in plastic products. Brominated flame retardants are chemicals used to reduce the flammability of materials. Both can be harmful to health and the environment if they go astray.  

Fire safety as the main message  

Although the environmental aspect was important to Nexans Sweden, another message was more prominent. 

 - Low Fire Hazard cables provide better fire safety. They emit less hazardous black smoke, which reduces the risk of smoke poisoning and makes evacuation easier. Thus, they can help save lives. At the same time, they can reduce fire costs by limiting the spread of smoke and fire. Because they don't produce corrosive gases, damage to machinery, installations and equipment is also minimised,’ says Andersson. 

- Many people started using Low Fire Hazard cables on their own initiative. Often it was a question of sustainability, but some property operators took a long-term, holistic view and realised that they had a lot of money to save by minimising damage costs in the event of a fire. They realised that cables without PVC and halogens were the safest choice,’ says Nyström.

Stricter technical building requirements 

The challenge in the early years was that the market lacked good LFHcables that could replace PVC cables. They were also known to be more expensive than halogenated cables.  

In 2007, Nexans stepped up a gear to develop cables that were easier to handle and install.  
 
- ‘We were able to supply Low Fire Hazard cables to the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, which required such cables. That got the ball rolling, and several major projects followed their example,’ says Andersson. 

Although the development of good LFH alternatives was underway, it wasn't until 2017 that the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) set requirements for cables in EU countries. These regulations covered the fire properties of cables, which are divided into different levels with minimum requirements.  
 
Different countries can choose which level to follow, and it can vary between different types of construction projects. 
- Norway most often uses fire class Eca in homes today. This often involves cables with PVC. Sweden, on the other hand, has adopted a fire class Dca level in principle in all buildings. As a rule, only Low Fire Hazard cables can meet the requirements of fire class Dca s2d2a2,’ says Nyström. 

Getting away from outdated myths  

Nyström and Andersson know that there are outdated attitudes that make it less tempting to choose cables with PVC and halogens.  

With so many other building materials containing PVC and other halogens, what difference can LFH-cables make? 

 
- Our answer is that everyone should do what they can. We do our part and take our share of responsibility. In addition, cables affect fire safety and can spread fire in a different way than some other parts of a building structure. Consider, for example, how cables connect floors and what that means if there is a fire,’ says Nyström.  
 
Andersson adds: 
 
- ‘Many fires start in electrical installations, so it's important to prevent and minimise smoke development already in the first phase of the fire. So cables are a good product to prioritise when you want to minimise the building's total amount of PVC,’ says Andersson. 

A bunch of enthusiasts 

- Contributing to the change from the beginning was fun and rewarding. We travelled around, carried out tests and demonstrations, showed and tried different solutions. The reason it was so successful in Sweden was that we were a group of people who were convinced of the benefits of Low Fire Hazard cables. We spoke from the heart and meant what we communicated. That was a great strength when we launched it,’ says Product Manager Andersson. 
 
The Sustainability Manager concludes: 
- ‘Nexans Norway is now embarking in earnest on its journey towards Low Fire Hazard cables. It will be exciting to see how the Norwegian market responds.