ALEXANDRIA, VA – Soon, foreign and domestic manufacturers of composite wood products will face stricter standards on formaldehyde emissions under new measures by the California Air Resources Board.
The International Wood Products Assn. stated its support for the newly defined CARB regulations, which will undergo first stage implementation on Jan. 1, 2009.
“IWPA members and their suppliers are proud to provide products to U.S. manufacturers, distributors and consumers that meet these standards,” said IWPA EVP Brent McClendon. “We want a seamless transition to this new standard, and uninterrupted supply lines for the California industries that base their global competitiveness on the quality, availability and value provided by imported composite wood products.”
“Compliance with the emissions requirements of this standard is quite doable by the Jan. 1, 2009, deadline,” said McClendon. “Recognizing this creates new requirements on hardwood throughout the world, whether located in Europe, Canada, Brazil, Mexico or Malaysia, we have asked California for more time to allow third-party certifiers to get ‘up and running’ in producer countries. We’re working closely with California to avoid unnecessary supply disruptions that could cause empty shelves in California’s home improvement stores at a time when the housing and manufacturing base is already struggling.”
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