On July 3, 2018, the State Council of the People's Republic of China released the ‘three-year action plan to win the battle for a blue sky’, in a bid to improve air quality. The plan proposes the implementation of special VOCs remediation plans for petrochemical, chemical, industrial coating, packaging, printing and other key VOCs emitting industries. It also proposes a ban on the production and usage of high VOC-containing solvent-based coatings, inks, adhesives etc. in key areas, and the implementation of special enforcement actions for VOCs, the aim of which is to reduce the total emissions of VOCs in 2020 by more than 10% compared with 2015.
New VOCs Mandatory National Standards released
As one of the VOCs remediation plans, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of the P.R.C.(SAC) have successively released 9 mandatory national standards related to VOCs, standardizing the VOCs test methods and content limits for coatings, adhesives, inks and cleaning agents. Some of these new standards will supersede the current versions. Coatings, adhesives, inks and cleaning agents are all high-risk VOC-containing materials commonly used in the electrical and electronic industry. The mandatory national standards released this time will prompt relevant enterprises to reduce the use of VOCs in their products.
Relevant Information of the Nine Mandatory National Standards
| STANDARD NO. | NAME OF STANDARD | RELEASE DATE | EFFECTIVE DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB 38468-2019 | Limit of harmful substances of interior floor coatings | 2019.12.31 | 2020.07.01 |
| GB 38469-2019 | Limit of harmful substances of marine coatings | ||
| GB 18581-2020 | Limit of harmful substances of woodware coatings | 2020.03.04 | 2020.12.01 |
| GB 18582-2020 | Limit of harmful substances of architectural wall coatings | ||
| GB 24409-2020 | Limit of harmful substances of vehicle coatings | ||
| GB 30981-2020 | Limit of harmful substances of industrial protective coatings | ||
| GB 33372-2020 | Limit of volatile organic compounds content in adhesive | ||
| GB 38507-2020 | Limits of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in printing ink | 2020.03.04 | 2021.04.01 |
| GB 38508-2020 | Limits for volatile organic compounds content in cleaning agents | 2020.03.04 | 2020.12.01 |
SGS can provide a wide array of services on VOCs, as testing, training, consulting, process auditing, document preparation and other services to help you deal with these new green requirements more efficiently and effectively!
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