Paints and varnishes: creation of a single, more demanding European Ecolabel
The new European Ecolabel simplifies matters for French paint manufacturers, enabling them to promote a new generation of more innovative, environmentally-friendly products. It is the result of the merger of two existing eco-labels for paints and varnishes.
The European Ecolabel – owned by the European Commission – is a distinctive mark well known to consumers, and continues to evolve to help paint and varnish manufacturers enhance the environmental impact of their products, throughout their entire life cycle.
Certified products offer a high level of quality, performance and durability. They guarantee consumers a reduced proportion of toxic substances and volatile organic compounds. And, of course, eco-labelled products cannot be classified as toxic or dangerous for the environment.
The main new features of the new eco-label for paints and varnishes :
- The criteria of the two existing eco-labels for interior and exterior paints and varnishes are merged.
- Anti-corrosion and facade paints are also covered.
- Wet scrub properties and white pigment content are now linked for decorative wall paints.
- An additional indoor air quality criterion on semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) has been added.
- Thresholds for ecological criteria (VOCs, formaldehyde, aromatic hydrocarbons, volatiles, etc.) have been lowered.
- Suppliers of raw materials for all substances present in paint must provide more details.
A RECEPTIVE AND COMMITTED SECTOR
2 paint manufacturers have already obtained certification for some of their products: SOMEFOR and DAW, and some forty certification applications are in progress.
According to Cécile Gervasoni, engineer at AFNOR Certification: “There are currently 38 manufacturers in France whose products are certified according to the old criteria. This represents 2,000 products in France, putting us in 2nd place in Europe with Italy for this product category. Logically, the movement is set to grow, and it’s more than likely that paint manufacturers who are already eco-labeled will join the new dynamic.”
