Identification and Traceability of Formaldehyde-Free Wood-Based Panels and Their Products (Part 1)

Engineered wood products are widely used as a basic raw material in home furnishings, furniture, and interior decoration. Formaldehyde release from engineered wood products has always been a major concern for end consumers. With the rapid development of the internet, news spreads faster and wider. Due to a general lack of awareness about formaldehyde among consumers, coupled with sensationalist and inaccurate reporting by some media outlets, formaldehyde has long been a focal point of concern regarding toxic and harmful pollutants in indoor products such as wood flooring, wooden doors, wooden furniture, and custom-made furniture.

As the topic of formaldehyde continues to be hyped and consumer attention grows, some businesses have quickly recognized its potential selling point and have begun incorporating terms like "formaldehyde-free" or "0 formaldehyde" into their product advertisements to attract consumers. Consumers, unable to discern whether a product is environmentally friendly, are often misled or deceived by cleverly designed advertising. Previously, all formaldehyde-free claims suffered from the same problem: a lack of supporting evidence. Neither national nor industry standards defined what constituted a formaldehyde-free product. Therefore, the wood products market and the engineered wood industry urgently need a standard to regulate the production, testing, and labeling of formaldehyde-free engineered wood panels and products. Consumers are also seeking methods or reliable markings to verify the legitimacy of green and environmentally friendly home building materials.

Group standards for formaldehyde-free engineered wood panels and their products have been issued.

To implement national standardization reforms and regulations on improving the quality of wood products, and in light of the specific circumstances of the wood-based panel industry, the China Forest Products Industry Association issued the group standard T/CNFPIA 3002-2018, "Formaldehyde-Free Wood-Based Panels and Their Products." Since its inception on June 29, 2017, the standard drafting process has received significant attention from the entire industry, with 86 enterprises and organizations participating. The standard was promulgated on May 1, 2018, and officially implemented on August 1, 2018.

To comprehensively promote the application of group standards, the China Forest Products Industry Association, in accordance with the "Management Measures for Group Standards" jointly promulgated by the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the Standardization Administration of China, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, officially released the "Management Measures for the Recognition of Group Standards of China Forest Products Industry Association" and the "Management Rules for the Recognition of 'Formaldehyde-Free Wood-based Panels and Their Products' by the Recognition Management Committee of China Forest Products Industry Association".

Beijing Green Forest Certification Co., Ltd.

Beijing Green Forest Certification Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Green Forest Certification") is a professional certification body approved by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (Approval No. CNCA-R2017-334). The company focuses on the certification of green, low-carbon, sustainable, healthy, and environmentally friendly products, meticulously crafting the identification and certification of formaldehyde-free and low-formaldehyde engineered wood products and their derivatives, providing consumers with trustworthy product quality labels.

Beijing Green Forest Certification Co., Ltd. is one of the first third-party certification bodies authorized by the China Forest Products Industry Association, and has fully launched the certification work for formaldehyde-free wood-based panels and their products. Based on the formaldehyde-free certification, Beijing Green Forest Certification Co., Ltd., in conjunction with the certification rules for formaldehyde-free wood-based panels and their products and the actual situation of the wood-based panel industry, has formulated a traceability system for formaldehyde-free wood-based panels and their products, and developed its own proprietary traceability platform.

 To be continued...