The use of non-environmental protection cables is strictly prohibited in developed countries, and our country also attaches great importance to this field. Relevant laws and regulations of our country explicitly require that important buildings prohibit the use of polyvinyl chloride wires and cables, and halogen-free low-smoke cross-linked PVC wires and cables must be used to avoid a large amount of smoke and chlorine in the event of a fire, which may cause casualties.

Environmentally friendly cables will strongly promote the development of the cable industry, improve the competitiveness of cable manufacturers, and in green practice and innovation, make the cable industry more stable on the road of sustainable development. In recent years, my country’s cable companies have gradually made efforts in the direction of environmentally friendly cables and low-smoke and halogen-free cables, as far as possible to be free of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine-based flame retardants, and no harmful halogen gases. There is no corrosive gas, less heat when burning, no pollution to the soil, etc., environmentally friendly cables will be more favored by the market, and it will be easier to obtain high orders in the bidding of power grid companies.

　　Users' requirements for environmentally friendly wires and cables can be summarized as follows:　　

1. Requires low lead and heavy metal content

As we all know, lead and certain heavy metals can cause adverse effects on human health, and in PVC formulations, additives such as lead, cadmium, barium and other heavy metal compounds are usually mixed. However, since the 1990s, some developed countries and large electric companies have successively formulated regulations, and in the PVC wires and cables used, the content of eight heavy metals must not exceed the regulations. These new regulations not only bring new business opportunities to wire and cable manufacturers, but also bring serious challenges to PVC cable manufacturers.

2. It requires low smoke and low hydrogen oxide

Good flame-retardant performance is a big advantage of PVC wires and cables. However, when ordinary flame-retardant PVC cables catch fire, they will release thick black smoke and a large amount of HCI gas, which will cause "secondary disasters after a fire" "Severely affect the evacuation of personnel and the development of fire rescue work. Therefore, while putting forward flame-retardant requirements for wires and cables, in some applications, the requirements for "low smoke" and "low HCI" will be further proposed.

3. Require low toxicity

For some cables used in household appliances, medical and health appliances, and children's electric toys that may come into contact with food and blood products, in addition to requiring lead-free and heavy metal-free, they also require low toxicity. This means that all component materials used in PVC formulations should be non-toxic. Cable material contains a lot of plasticizers, but non-toxic plasticizers must be used to make non-toxic materials. Therefore, the requirements for this PVC material are higher than those of lead-free and heavy-metal materials, and the price is naturally more expensive.

4. For other prohibited objects

Currently, the European Union is reviewing regulations that restrict the following items to ensure that wires and cables can meet environmental protection requirements. For example: 1. Asbestos; 2. Biphenyl and its ethers, polybrominated phenol; 3. Polychlorinated biphenyl; 4. Short-chain (C10-C13) chlorinated paraffin.

With increasing attention to environmental issues, many countries have formulated various environmental protection policies, so people are more inclined to use green cables. Low-smoke halogen-free flame-retardant cable material is one of the most popular environmental protection cables. Despite the growing demand for green cables in the Chinese market, compared with developed countries, my country still has a long way to go in terms of relevant policy formulation and mandatory application. my country should improve environmental protection cable standards as soon as possible.