The environmental policy and the volatile organic compounds

The environmental policy experiences a spectacular development in Europe, and all the actions of the European Commission have in view the alignment to the environmental protection requirements, through preventing programs, like “Our choice, our future”, launched in 2001.
In the furniture industry the following directives are active: the directive 96/61/CE, regarding the integrated prevention and control of the pollution; the directive 1999/13/CE, establishing the limit values for the emissions of VOC’s; the directive 2004/42/CE, providing restrictions for the VOC’s of the organic solvents from paints, varnishes and refinishing products. The European Commission is working with a new directive, RECAS, intended for clarifying some problems related to the VOC’s and other procedural aspects, planned for enforcement in 2013.
The furniture industry will have to try new finishing technologies, based on ecological products, and the future belongs to the suppliers who will find the best economical and environment protecting solutions.