EU Commission revises Ecolabel criteria for paints and varnishes

The European Commission has published its amending Decision establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes on 8 June 2015, with the amendments as the following:
 
Extension of transitional period
 
EU Commission adjusts the transitional period, which is changed from 12 months to 21 months. Therefore it may allow sufficient time for producers whose products have been awarded the EU Ecolabel for indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes to adapt their products to comply with the revised criteria and requirements.
 
Further clarity of definition and applicable scope
 
1. Technical experts notified the Commission and some Member States that the current wording of point 14 of Article 2 is not clear. The provided definition allows misinterpretation regarding the reference to ‘polar systems’. So a correction is made to the definition herein. Moreover, it was recommended to specify within the definition by an additional technical parameter, the vapour pressure. Any change in the wording of point 13, 14 of Article 2 shall be reflected for the sake of consistency and clarity regarding VOCs.
 
2. Table 2 of Criterion 3 (a) is renamed as “3(a) Spreading rate (only for white and light coloured paints, including the white base paints used in tinting systems)) — ISO 6504/1. Not applicable to varnishes, lasures, transparent adhesion primers or any other transparent coatings”. It is to further clarify that criterion 3(a) and the associated reference in table 2 apply to semi- transparent but do not apply to adhesion primers and any other coatings that are transparent.
 
Alteration, addition and deletion in contents
 
1. In Table 2 — fifth column of criterion 3, the unit of measurement (1 m²/L) should be replaced by the following ‘1 m²/kg’.
 
2. Alteration in criterion 4: the fourth paragraph herein specifies that “The test shall be carried out using the analytical system as identified in the Criteria User Manual”; Table 4 is deleted, etc.
 
3. The previous Criterion 5(a)(i) provides a list of groups of substances which are explicitly indicated as a subject of the assessment and verification of criterion 5(a). However, an additional group of substances needs to be added, namely ‘8. Substances in binders and polymer dispersions 8a. Binders and cross linking agents, 8b. Reaction products and residues, and that are present at concentrations of more than 0,010 %’. Besides, the list of groups of substances should be moved to the assessment and verification text of the criterion for clarity.
 
4. Point 7(a) of appendix in the previous version sets concentration limits for the presence of formaldehyde in the final product, but the concentration limits in the table are misplaced. That table should show clearly that the concentration limits for all products are 0,0010 %, unless derogations apply.

【中文版】

Further information
(EU) 2015/886 (revision) (English)
2014/312/EU (English)

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