FIREPROOF JUICE - FINALIST
SWEDEN

Until recently no-one thought it was possible to make a flame retardant that's totally harmless to humans and the environment. The toxicity of the most commonly used retardant chemicals - bromide and chlorine - is seen as a price worth paying for any reduction in the risk of fire, which is currently the fourth leading cause of accidental death in the world.

Swedish chemist Mats Nilsson did not think the price worth paying. Nilsson has taken inspiration from living organisms which protect themselves from highly reactive chemical elements within their cells. His research into the 'heat-eating' potential of organic compounds has proved fruitful - and 'fruitful' is the word, for the ideal raw material for his revolutionary MHE flame-retardant was found to be grapes and citrus fruits.

Having patented his invention, Nilsson is currently licensing it to several of the world's leading flame retardant and manufacturing firms. The MHE product is proving as versatile as it is effective, with applications ranging from foam mattresses to hi-tech goods. The product has the potential to revolutionise the billion dollar flame retardant industry - thereby seeing off the lurking environmental disaster of bromide accumulation in living things.