CARB introduction

1 Birth background

2 CARB certification definition

3 regulatory requirements

4 Impact and trends

5 steps

6 institutions

1 Birth background

On April 18, 2008, the California Administrative Act Office approved the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reduce the emission of formaldehyde in composite wood products toxic substances airborne control measures (ATCM), this regulation has been included in California Act 17 . At present, this regulation is one of the stricter standards on the formaldehyde emission of composite wood products, and requires the factory to strictly monitor the production process of the factory in accordance with the quality management system required by the law; it has not passed CARB since January 1, 2009 Certified composite wood products and finished products containing composite wood products are not eligible for the "green card" to enter California. The implementation of this regulation is not only a challenge for my country's wood-based panel manufacturers and furniture companies, but also a rare opportunity of "one in ten years".

2CARB definition

CARB is the abbreviation of "California Air Resources Board". On April 27, 2007, CARB held a public hearing based on the investigation and approved the "Airborne Toxic Control Measure (hereinafter referred to as ATCM)" "To reduce the amount of formaldehyde emitted from wood products. In April 2008, the final draft was 93120-93120.12.

3 regulatory requirements

The CARB regulations are implemented in two phases (Phase 1 and Phase 2). Phase 1 (P1) of di starts on January 1, 2009. It requires the climate chamber method ASTM E 1333 or ASTM D 6007 to test the formaldehyde emission of panels, and the hard High-quality plywood (HWPW) must be less than 0.08ppm, particle board (PB) must be less than 0.18ppm, and medium density fiberboard (MDF) must be less than 0.21ppm. Starting in 2010, the requirements of the second phase (P2) of the regulations will be implemented successively. The regulations not only impose requirements on factories that produce panels, but also have strict requirements on furniture factories, importers, traders, and retailers. Among them, the specific requirements for plate manufacturers are as follows

　　The formaldehyde emission of the board must meet the requirements of the standard

　　 Third-party certification must be compulsory (factory should establish a quality management system and quality control laboratory as required)

　　A qualified label must be affixed to the product

From the above we can see that in addition to the requirement that product tests must be qualified, the regulations also require factories to establish quality control laboratories and quality management systems in strict accordance with the regulations to supervise their products and ensure that every batch of panels produced by the factory is It is a qualified product. This is the major difference between CARB regulations and other regulations, and it is also a point that is more difficult to obtain CARB certification.

4 Impact and trends

The current economic downturn and the lack of strong demand coincide with the implementation of the new CARB regulations in the United States, and my country's wood-based panel industry will inevitably be affected. However, the implementation of CARB certification is not entirely a bad thing, which will prompt my country's related industries to complete another "qualitative leap" in many aspects, and prompt my country's wood-based panel manufacturers to eliminate outdated production capacity.

　　 From the perspective of the factories that have obtained CARB certification, MDF and PB manufacturers are some of the relatively excellent manufacturers in the industry with stable product quality and complete management. At this stage, large-scale production companies have basically obtained certification. According to market response and internal investigations of certification companies, the sales of CARB certified products are relatively good and the prices are high. Many factories that have grasped CARB certification opportunities In the context of the financial crisis, "up against the market" achieved good results. Therefore, many small and medium-sized MDF and PB manufacturers are currently improving their production processes under the pressure of the market, seeking glue formulations and striving to make their products meet CARB requirements.

Due to the simple production process of HWPW factories, many HWPW factories in my country are still family-style hand workshops. Although they can also produce products whose formaldehyde emission can meet the requirements of CARB, the regulations also require factories to strictly follow the quality stipulated by the regulations. Management system to manage, so many current plywood factories also use CARB certification to improve their own management. To some extent, CARB regulations are pushing my country's sheet metal industry towards a standardized, environmentally friendly and sustainable development path.

　　 Under the current situation, various trade technical barriers and environmental protection requirements are definitely increasing. Companies should be determined to adjust their production structure, improve their own product quality and management capabilities, and take the road of high-end individual brands to lay a solid foundation for the company's long-term development.

5CARB certification steps

Contact a third-party certification body (TPC)

　　Assess factory quality control

　　Develop formaldehyde emission test and evaluation in the factory

　　 Discuss with resin suppliers how to achieve CARB release standards

　　The factory audit is conducted by a third-party certification body (TPC) accredited by CARB

6CARB certification body

TUV Rheinland (TUV Rheinland)

　　PSI

　　PFS

　　ITS

　　SGS

　　CPA

　　Fraunhofer-Institut for wood research WKI

　　AQL

　　PTML

　　HPVA

　　SCS

　　EPH

　　AWPA

　　SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden

　　AIDIMA

　　CATAS

　　FCBA

　　MPA

　　ITD

　　NSF