by Web Editor | Dec 10, 2018 | News
SGS has announced that it has become the first third-party certifier (TPC) to be accredited by the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS). This an award secures its long-term capability for the testing and certification of composite wood products for the U.S. market.
The Hong Kong Accreditation Service is an accreditation body recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide services under the Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products Rule.
Achieving additional TPC accreditation requirements secures SGS’s position in the certification of composite wood products for the U.S. market beyond March 22, 2019 and further positions SGS as a global leader in certifying these products and related services.
In the United States, formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products are governed by the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act, which is administered by the EPA.
Signed into law in July 2010, this legislation was and became the amendment and Title VI of the ‘Toxic Substances Control Act’ (TSCA). It contains requirements for composite wood panel manufacturers, fabricators of finished goods, and importers, distributors and retailers of composite wood panels and finished goods.
Read more on this from Woodworking Network at https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/sgs-hong-kong-certifies-composite-wood-products-us-market?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news.
by Web Editor | Sep 7, 2018 | News
In a recent message from the National Hardwood Lumber Association encouraging member companies to contact representatives in Washington regarding the tariff situation, NHLA passed on this information from the Hardwood Federation on the importance of the wood products industry to the United States.
The wood products industry in the United States is an important contributor to the U.S. economy, accounting for approximately 4 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Wood products companies are among the top ten manufacturing sector employers in 47 states, producing $210 billion in products annually.
The industry employs nearly 900,000 people; more than the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. Many of them are in rural areas where employment opportunities are limited.
Hardwood is an important sub-sector of the wood products industry and has a heavy reliance on export markets for its survival.
In 2017, U.S. hardwood producers shipped $4.04 billion worth of U.S. products to global markets; $2.09 billion to Greater China, including Hong Kong and Macau. Combined, China, the NAFTA countries and the E.U. make up 82 percent of hardwood exports. Dependable, long-term export markets are vital to the sustainability of the hardwood industry. In 2017, the U.S. had a trade surplus of $1.475 billion in hardwood lumber, up from $1.1 billion in 2015.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/how-important-us-wood-products-industry?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
