Recently, the final rules of the formaldehyde standard act for composite wood products, formulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and published in the Federal Register of the United States, came into effect. As required by the rules, all hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium density fiberboard made of veneer or composite core sold, supplied, sold on a commission basis and manufactured (including imported) in the United States as well as composite wood products containing these materials must comply with the act from December 12, 2017.



The requirements of the new act are equivalent to the "air transmission control measures for reducing formaldehyde emission from composite wood products" implemented by California in 2009. It is the most stringent formaldehyde emission standard in the global composite wood products industry. The bill mainly includes three requirements: first, the formaldehyde emission limit of products is significantly reduced. The formaldehyde emission of hardwood plywood made from single board core or composite core shall not exceed 0.08ppm (mg / kg) to 0.05 ppm, that of particleboard shall not exceed 0.18ppm to 0.09 ppm, and that of medium density fiberboard shall not exceed 0.21ppm to 0.11 ppm. The new standard is significantly higher than the current standards in China and other countries in the world. Taking particleboard as an example, China's current national standard is formulated with reference to the EU's limit standard: formaldehyde emission shall not exceed 90ppm, while the new standard of 0.09 ppm in the United States is 1000 times that of China's current standard.



Second, there are new changes in product label information. Composite wood products, such as furniture, wooden cabinets, floors, photo frames, toys and building materials, must be attached with labels, indicating the name of the product manufacturer, batch number, third-party certification body number, and a statement of compliance with the release standard. The third is the relevant requirements for the production enterprises of composite wood products. The act requires furniture retailers and suppliers in the United States to adopt formaldehyde standards similar to those stipulated by California laws, and requires products to have detailed documents at all links of the supply chain to prove that the gas emitted by the products will not exceed the specified limits.

According to statistics, wood products are an important export commodity of China. In 2016, the export volume exceeded 30billion US dollars, including 7billion US dollars of composite wood products. At present, except for a few products that have passed the carb (California Air Resources Management Committee) certification in the United States, most of the composite wood products in China can not meet the requirements of the new regulations in the United States. Therefore, the promulgation of this bill will bring severe challenges to China's wood products export to the United States. In order to effectively respond to this new act, the inspection and quarantine department suggests that domestic wood products export enterprises should take the initiative to take the following measures from the "management and self strengthening" point of view:



First, we should deeply study and analyze the relevant contents of the new us act, accurately grasp the formaldehyde emission limit standards and implementation period of various products stipulated in the new act, scientifically adjust the types of export products and production plans, and pay close attention to the possible follow-up measures taken by other countries.



Second, strengthen the management of raw and auxiliary materials, re evaluate suppliers, try to use raw and auxiliary materials or recycled plates with zero formaldehyde emission from carb certified enterprises, and control the source to ensure the quality and safety of raw and auxiliary materials. Timely adjust the production process, establish and improve the control system of toxic and harmful substances of exported wood products, so as to ensure that the formaldehyde emission of exported related products can meet the requirements of the importing country after the implementation of the act.



Third, make full use of China's industrial structure policies to promote their own upgrading and transformation, and strive to improve the added value of products; Actively participate in the technical training of relevant departments, master relevant detection methods, and improve the self inspection and self-control level. Strengthen independent innovative design of products, and strengthen the construction of self owned brands of exported composite wood products.



Fourth, actively expand domestic and foreign marketing channels, develop new international markets, reduce the risk of excessive market concentration, timely communicate with foreign customers, and clarify the responsibilities of both parties through contract terms to avoid losses.