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logica to ach is en arm, incentives to do so. However, a strong and clear policy approach, backed es, will be necessary to break our current dependency on organobromine modes of toxicity are emerging issues and that our under- mental behaviour of brominated flame retardants remains 2003)standing of their fate and effects remains limited. Prior to the mid-1990s, for example, very little had been published on this diverse group of environmental contaminants. Early reports such as that of Anderson and Blomkist (1981) generated some interest, although the issue remained very much related to specific industrial point sources. It was not until later in the 1980s that the wider geographical spread of polybrominated biphenyls and diphenylethers (PBBs, restricted to only a very few compounds among the plethora reportedly in use (see e.g. Jansson, 2001). Since 1997, the number of research publications describing the distribution, accumulation and toxicity of various brominated flame retardants, especially the PBDEs, has grown exponentially. Their widespread distribution, including their detection in remote areas such as the Arctic and the deep oceans (e.g. Sellström et al., 1993; de Boer et al., 1998) has captured thechemistry. This paper presents the justification for such an approach, reviews those initiatives already underway to replace brominated flame retardants and identifies pathways to the use of more sustainable products in the service of society