The European Commission has established a new limit for the concentration of formaldehyde in the air of "living environments": the Regulation 2023/1464, published on 14 July, cuts the previous values by setting the limit to 0,062 mg/m3 for the emission of this substance considering, in particular, wood-based products and furniture as possible "sources" of formaldehyde.
The provision prescribes a new limit which is exactly the half of the value indicated in 1989 by the World Health Organization (0.124 mg/m3), on which the well-known and consolidated E1 classification is based. The E1 is, up to now, not only the recognized standard of the sector, but it is also the reference class legally adopted by many European countries.
It is undoubtedly worth highlighting that, for the first time, the whole European wood and furniture sector must adopt a precise "rule" from the European authorities which, unlike the E1 classification, must necessarily be applied by all European countries, obviously involving also all products imported in the EU.
Companies in the sector will have three years to comply with the new Regulation. This period of time is necessary for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to define, with the involvement of the European associations and organizations involved, the proper guidelines on test methods.
The new Regulation and the possible consequences on the market were presented during a very committed webinar organized on 26 July by FederlegnoArredo (the federation of Italian associations representing companies engaged in the processing of wood and its derivatives) and by Catas, which were both closely involved in the effort to bring the needs of the companies of the sector to the tables where the Regulation was discussed. There were many questions from the more than 300 participants, although it was considered that most of the companies are, in any case, still ready to face this new challenge.
