ROSEVILLE, CA — The first Executive Order issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) granting a No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) Exemption was recently issued to SierraPine, a manufacturer of composite panels. The Exemption recognizes the absence of formaldehyde in the adhesive system SierraPine uses in producing all of its Sustainable Design Fiberboard products, and means that the exempt products meet or surpass the emission requirements in Phase 2 of the CARB Regulation 93120, according to the company.

“The fact that SierraPine is the first company to receive a CARB Exemption underscores our commitment and leadership in developing and producing sustainable composite panel products,” said Chris Leffel, SierraPine vice president of sales and marketing. “There is still a misunderstanding in the market between adhesive systems that are truly formaldehyde free and other low emitting systems that may meet the ‘No Added Urea Formaldehyde’ requirement of the LEED¨ building standards, but that are still formaldehyde-based. The exemption we have been granted by the State of California should help clear up that confusion.”

While SierraPine must still comply with the labeling requirements of the regulation, the Exemption eases the burden of costly continuous product testing required for non-exempt products. The Exemption applies to all SierraPine SDF products, including ARREIS, Medex, Medite II and Medite FR.

A copy of the entire Executive Order can be found on SierraPine's website, www.sierrapine.com. The Order will also be posted to CARB's website www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm.