The worldwide consumption of flame retardants amounts to more than 2.25 Million tons per year. Aluminium hydroxide is the largest single flame retardant at 38% share. Second are the halogenated flame retardant systems comprising brominated and chlorinated products which are commonly used together with the synergist antimony trioxide, in total 31%. Organophosphorus and other flame retardants like e.g. inorganic phosphorus compounds, nitrogen and zinc based flame retardants make up the rest at 31%. Over the last decade there is a trend towards substituting legacy halogenated flame retardants with more sustainable non-halogenated products.
According to a 2017 market study of IHS Consulting, the consumption of flame retardants has grown substantially in the past 4 years, notably in electronics, and will continue to grow at a global annualized rate of 3.1% between 2016 and 2021. Flame retardants are mainly consumed by the plastics/resin industry. Textiles and rubber products account for most of the rest. Asia consumed the largest volume of flame retardants in 2016 with a 50% share, with China being the largest single consumer at 26%.