by Web Editor | Sep 19, 2016 | News
New Zealand Researchers Develop New Adhesive For Engineered Wood
Scion’s environmentally-friendly bioadhesives technology was awarded Biotechnology of the Year at NZBIO’s annual conference recently. Dr. Will Barker, Chief Executive of NZBIO, said “the technology is a game changer for wood panel manufacturers”.
The Scion bioadhesives team, led by Warren Grigsby, has developed a world first 100 percent biobased adhesive and resins for engineered wood products. Made from natural sources, such as forestry and agricultural waste, these adhesives and resins are petrochemical-free, have very low formaldehyde emissions and can be made and used in existing manufacturing operations.
“We are thrilled to receive this award. It’s a great acknowledgement. We’ve spent years mixing and matching assorted ingredients to come up with right recipe. This is the icing on the cake,” says Warren.
The technology, which has been over seven years in the making, has been trademarked and patented as ‘Ligate’. “The ‘green’ credentials of Ligate products will provide manufacturers with a competitive advantage over wood processors using conventional petrochemical-based adhesives and resins.
“Adhesives and resins made from natural sources have a lower environmental footprint and are considered more socially acceptable than their traditional formaldehyde-based counterparts,” says Warren. The technology has already attracted international interest, and next week Warren travels to Europe to further profile the technology at two international conferences.
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by Web Editor | Aug 19, 2016 | News
Lumber Liquidators, the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring in North America, recently announced the final resolution of the Proposition 65 lawsuit originally filed on July 23, 2014, in the Superior Court of the State of California.
On June 30, 2016 the Court entered judgment in favor of Lumber Liquidators. On August 12, 2016, the parties entered into a final resolution of the case, with a settlement agreement that requires the plaintiffs to pay Lumber Liquidators $100,000 as reimbursement for costs. The agreement also requires the plaintiffs to surrender their right to appeal or challenge the judgment.
“The verdict in our favor in the Proposition 65 case and the related settlement requiring plaintiffs to reimburse our costs are additional steps forward in the tremendous progress our company has made over the past several months,” said John Presley, CEO of Lumber Liquidators.
“We have strengthened Lumber Liquidators across every area of our organization, including implementing significant enhancements to our sourcing and compliance practices, and look forward to continuing to deliver products that are compliant with California’s environmental standards. As a company, we remain committed to operating with integrity and delivering the highest quality products to our customers.”
In 2014, Global Community Monitor and Sunshine Park LLC filed a lawsuit claiming that Lumber Liquidators failed to provide a Proposition 65 formaldehyde warning to California consumers. The Court ruled that the plaintiffs’ evidence failed to support their claims.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/lumber-liquidators-wins-formaldehyde-settlement-its-adversaries-pay?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Aug 1, 2016 | News
The Environmental Protection Agency rolled out a formaldehyde emission standard, working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in setting the rules that are mandated by Congress.
The EPA moved to reduce exposure to formaldehyde vapors from laminate panel and engineered wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The agency worked with the California Air Resources Board to make its final national rule consistent with California requirements for composite wood products.
One year after the rule is published, composite wood products that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported in the United States will need to be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. These products include: hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, particleboard as well as household and other finished goods containing these products.
The action was triggered in large part by discovering that Lumber Liquidators’ flooring supply from China has been labeled CARB compliant though it was not. Lumber Liquidators has since settled with CARB and the Consumer Products Safety Commission over its liability for the matter. The new rule requires other sellers of laminate panel to meet the CARB standards for formaldehyde exposure.
EPA says the new rule will level the playing field for domestic laminate flooring manufacturers who have a high rate of compliance with the California standard and will ensure that imported products not subject to California’s requirements will meet the new standard and thus, not contain dangerous formaldehyde vapors.”
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/epa-issues-final-formaldehyde-exposure-rule-guided-carb
by Web Editor | Mar 28, 2016 | News
Hardwood flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators Inc. has paid the California Air Resources Board (CARB) $2.5 million to settle claims that the company sold composite wood products that exceeded California formaldehyde limits, and failed to take reasonable precautions to ensure those products met such limits.
Additionally, Lumber Liquidators has developed and agreed to implement, a “Fabricator Laminate Evaluation and Audit Program” and a “Composite Core Testing Research Program,” requiring the company to conduct regular audits of existing and new suppliers and to randomly test composite core samples in accordance with CARB’s standard operating procedure for preparing finished goods for testing.
This is CARB’s first documented enforcement action on this regulation, and it may be a sign that CARB will begin to ensure compliance more aggressively.
“The California Air Resources Board adopted the ATCM to protect the public from toxic exposures to formaldehyde from composite wood products, and we are enforcing this regulation,” CARB Enforcement Division Chief Todd Sax said. “Companies need to understand we expect compliance with our rules, and we will hold those accountable who do not comply.”
Lumber Liquidators pleaded guilty to both felony and misdemeanor charges back in October 2015. The company paid more than $13 million in fines and restitution earlier this year.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/lumber-liquidators-pays-25-million-settle-california-clean-air-claims?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Feb 24, 2016 | News
Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI), promoting the advantages of formaldehyde-free real, solid wood to public, are contrasting its natural qualities with the unsafe laminate flooring that had gotten Lumber Liquidators into trouble with consumers.
“Discount flooring companies selling imported laminate floors have been providing customers with products that can carry seven to twenty times the base amount of carcinogenic formaldehyde allowed by the EPA,” says the AHMI. “At these levels, formaldehyde secretes from the flooring and into the home’s air, becoming a high-level health risk, especially for children and pets who are most susceptible to its effects. Carcinogenic formaldehyde found in artificial wood has been linked to lung and nasal cancer, nausea, asthma, and other severe respiratory issues.”
Wood industry trade groups, including furniture and cabinetry makers, have been trying to separate their goods from the products made in China that contained high levels of formaldehyde. The Kitchen Cabinet Makers Association issued a statement last week saying that there is no risk of exposure to formaldehyde in cabinets that receive its Environmental Stewardship Program seal, because its program requires that engineered wood used in it must be CARB Compliant.
Other groups have questioned the validity of testing methods used to detect formaldehyde in wood products – such as flooring sold by online retailer Wayfair – tests that deconstruct the multi-layered sandwich that makes up laminate flooring. The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association estimates that “finishes of paint, lacquer, sealants, laminate, plastic or other material” reduce formaldehyde emissions of the underlying raw board by 90 percent.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/appalachian-hardwood-manufacturers-tout-formaldehyde-free-real-solid-wood
