- Founded in 1979 by the European manufacturers of High Temperature Insulation Wools (HTIW)
- Registered in Paris
- Five full and seven associate members
- Active throughout the EU
- Connected to the HTIW Coalition in the U.S. and the JHIWA (Japan High Temperature Insulation Wool Association) in Japan
- Long-standing cooperation with EU, national authorities and the scientific community
- Confirmed its registration in the Transparency Register; the ID number is 437067914645-34
ECFIA started its activities as “The European Ceramic Fibre Industry Association”. It was set up to coordinate industry efforts in the areas of health and safety.
In 1979 the term „ceramic fibre“ referred to the Refractory Ceramic Fibres (RCF), made from aluminosilicate glass and therefore today also called Alumino Silicate Wools (ASW) that were the main products of the industry. ECFIA’s members have been producing for several decades also other high-temperature vitreous Alkaline Earth Silicate (AES) Wools and Polycrystalline Wools (PCW) which are becoming more and more important.
From the start, ECFIA has cooperated with the scientific community to improve and broaden the understanding of HTIW characteristics and opportunities. As ECFIA is dedicated to health and safety matters, the association developed a series of information documents providing users with recommendations on good working practices concerning the use of ASW/RCF products. As from 1985, ECFIA members began labelling all their ASW/RCF products, ensuring the information was reaching all persons dealing with these products right down to shop-floor level.
Although the name ECFIA is no longer an acronym, we remain a “European” association addressing health, safety and environmental aspects of the manufacture, use and disposal of HTIW.