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 | Jun 25, 2018 | News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new federal formaldehyde emissions regulations took effect on June 1st, 2018. As of this date all composite wood products must be certified as compliant with these regulations.The EPA defines composite wood products here as both domestic and imported particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and hardwood (decorative) plywood.
Structural engineered wood products made for construction applications are exempt from this regulation, including structural plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), wood I-joists, laminated veneer lumber, and glued-laminated timber. All of these products are manufactured with low-emitting, moisture-resistant adhesives in accordance with existing product standards and building codes, according to The Engineered Wood Association (APA).
For quick reference, structural engineered wood products marked with the APA Mark of Quality are considered exempt from the new regulations. If unmarked products from APA member mills are sold into applications that do not require a certification mark, the product invoice and an APA certificate of conformance can be used to identify the product as exempt.
The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act was signed by President Barack Obama on July 7th, 2010, based on the Air Toxic Control Measure developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The first phase of regulation rollout, now in effect, allows for compliance with either the CARB ATCM Phase II or the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI. Starting March 22nd, 2019, only the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI will be permitted as a path to compliance.
From Builder: https://www.builderonline.com/building/regulation-policy/structural-engineered-wood-products-exempt-from-new-epa-formaldehyde-regulations_o
by Web Editor | Sep 8, 2017 | News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will issue a final rule that will extend compliance dates for the national Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products, according to Furniture Today.
“As announced on its website this week, the dates will be amended as follows:
* Emission standards, recordkeeping and labeling provisions from December 12, 2017, to December 12, 2018
* Import certification provisions from December 12, 2018, to March 22, 2019
* Laminated product producer provisions from December 12, 2023, to March 22, 2024
* The conclusion of the transition period for CARB Third-Party Certifiers from December 12, 2018, to March 22, 2019
“On July 11, the EPA also published a direct final rule that would remove a provision that prohibited the early labeling of compliant products before the original December 12 deadline. As it received no adverse comments on this matter, the rule has been changed to allow companies to label compliant products before the new December 2018 deadline. That change became effective August 25, meaning that companies can begin labeling product manufactured by this date.
“The EPA said it has received no negative comments on these changes, which are being finalized as proposed.”
From Floor Daily: https://www.floordaily.net/flooring-news/epa-extends-compliance-dates-for-composite-wood-products
by Web Editor | May 26, 2017 | News
EPA issued a proposed Direct Final Rule, concerning formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products, extending all of the TSCA Title VI compliance deadlines to account for the delays to the originally published effective date. The rule was published in the Federal Register May 24. The new compliance dates are as follows:
• Emissions, recordkeeping and labeling provisions – March 22, 2018
• Import certification – March 22, 2019
• Laminated products – March 22, 2024
The rule also proposes to extend the transitional period for CARB-certified third-party certifiers (TPCs) to March 22, 2019.
This proposed rule will enter into effect within 45 days of publication in the Federal Register if EPA does not receive any adverse comment within 15 days.
“The federal regulation that definitively addresses formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products sold in the United States was first published in the Federal Register on Dec. 12, 2016, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If properly enforced, the regulation can ensure that all products – both domestic and imported composite wood panels and the finished products containing them – meet the world’s most stringent standards for formaldehyde emissions. It also marks the culmination of over 30 years of product stewardship by the composite wood industry, which through voluntary efforts and consistent and progressive work with regulators, has successfully developed products that consistently meet or exceed these tough standards,” said Jackson Morrill, president of the Composite Panel Association.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/epas-final-rule-extends-formaldehyde-compliance-dates?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Nov 21, 2016 | News
WoodWorks, a proponent of large-scale wood construction in the U.S., launched an updated version of its free carbon calculator, adding more options for buildings made from cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other mass timber products. The addition reflects rising interest in large scale wood building construction.
WoodWorks, which receives finding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as timber companies and forest products manufacturers, promotes use of wood products as a means to store carbon, instead of building materials such as cement and steel that require fossil fuel energy to manufacture, a move that can help reduce greenhouse gases.
“The carbon calculator is a useful tool for building owners and designers who’d like to gain insight on the environmental value of alternate designs,” said Bill Parsons, Senior National Director of the Architectural & Engineering Solutions Team at WoodWorks. “It also provides information that allows them to express the carbon benefits of their wood building projects.”
To calculate the carbon benefits of a wood building, users access the carbon calculator at www.woodworks.org/carbon-calculator and enter nominal wood volume information. The calculator then estimates:
• How much time it takes U.S. and Canadian forests to grow that volume of wood
• The amount of carbon sequestered in the wood products, and
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by not using more fossil fuel-intensive materials.
• It also uses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator to equate the total carbon benefit to number of cars off the road and home operational energy.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/free-carbon-calculator-shows-how-much-co2-wood-construction-saves?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
