China’s State Administration for Market
Regulation (SAMR) and its Standardization Administration have published nine
mandatory volatile organic compound (VOC) standards for a variety of products.
The standards include methodologies and
limits for VOCs and other harmful substances in:
- Interior floor coatings – GB 38468-2019
- Marine coatings – GB 38469-2019
- Woodcare coatings – GB 18581-2020
- Architectural wall coatings – GB 18582-2020
- Vehicle coatings – GB 24409-2020
- Industrial protective coatings – GB 30981-2020
- Adhesives – GB 33372-2020
- Printing ink – GB 38507-2020
- Cleaning agents – GB 38508-2020
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The standards form part of the response
to the release by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of
a ‘Three-year Plan to Win the Battle for a Blue Sky’. Issued in 2018, this
seeks to improve air quality by implementing VOC remediation plans for various
key VOC emitting industries – petrochemical, chemical, industrial coatings,
packaging, printing, etc. By banning the production and use of high VOC content
solvent-based coatings, inks and adhesives, the aim is to reduce total VOC
emission by over 10% in 2020 (compared to 2015).
A plan to achieve this – ‘2020 Volatile
Organic Compounds Management Plan’ – was announced by the Ministry of Ecology
and Environment of the PRC (MEE) in June 2020. The implementation of these nine
standards is part of this initiative.
The standards will come into effect on
various dates in 2020 and 2021:
- GB 38468-2019 – July 1, 2020
- GB 38469-2019 – July 1, 2020
- GB 18581-2020 – December 1, 2020
- GB 18582-2020 – December 1, 2020
- GB 24409-2020 – December 1, 2020
- GB 30981-2020 – December 1, 2020
- GB 33372-2020 – December 1, 2020
- GB 38507-2020 – April 1, 2021
- GB 38508-2020 – December 1, 2020
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SGS VOC Testing Services
SGS offers a range of VOC testing
capabilities to help businesses around the world comply with mandatory national
standards. They are fully accredited by the China Metrology Accreditation (CMA)
for analyzing VOCs in coatings, adhesives, inks and cleaning agents. Learn more
about SGS’s VOC Testing Services.
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with
the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full CHINA’S
STANDARDIZATION ADMINISTRATION RELEASES NINE VOC STANDARDS SafeGuardS.
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For further information contact:
Ethan Zhang
Technical Supervisor, EET RSTS
Tel: (86) 574 8776 7006 ext. 6007
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines
LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
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