In the process of purchasing decorative accessories, consumers may find a variety of environmental protection certification labels printed on the packaging or brochures of products. In fact, it is not right the more environmental protection certification labels, the better. Most environmental protection standards measure the content of pollutants, with a wider range of values. Even globally highly recognized environmental certification bodies classify the products according to the tested value, and it is certainly more secure to buy products with the highest environmental protection certification issued by a reliable body. We should not be blinded by quantity alone, but consider the value and level of certification.
At present, there are some limitations on the existing testing methods in China. Most of the testing methods use samples for inspection, but it is impossible to supervise whether the tested samples are unified with the products sold in the actual market. However, world-class environmental protection institutions with high recognition in the industry all adopt the testing method of sampling inspection from market, so they will visit the market and buy products randomly through unannounced inspection.
Many consumers who have consciousness of environmental protection would generally check its testing report when buying a decorative material, but they do not know, a product qualified with a testing report does not mean it is not involved in the topic of decorate pollution.
It does not represent the emission quantity is also qualified after construction is completed that the tested data of product content reach the standard. Many consumers found that the pollutants were qualified in the tests after the house’s construction had been just finished, but these pollutants were out of limits when the pollutants were tested again after a period of time. In fact, the release of pollutants is often cyclical. For example, formaldehyde’s volatile cycle is as long as 20 years. The content of pollutants is simply tested as indicated by a testing report, but it is not comprehensive. The emission amount of formaldehyde, benzene homologs and derivates, and VOCs is the key to indoor health and environmental protection.
If you want to see reliable inspection reports, buy real environmental and healthy decorative materials, you may pay more attention to some foreign authoritative environmental protection certification labels, such as Germany GEV EMICODE, American UL GREENGUARD, European Eurofins IAC, and French VOC Regulation. These four environmental protection certification bodies all measure the emission amount of pollutants. Some of them also simulate the scene after 28 days after construction is completed, and grade the products by testing the concentration of TVOCs and other 10 commonly-seen harmful organic substances.
These four major certifications are more objective and scientific than some common test reports from the perspective of testing form and tested content. For example, American GREENGUARD Green (GOLD) certification is specially designed for sensitive groups such as the elderly and children and especially suitable for kindergartens, schools, hospitals and other places. If a product is able to obtain the highest level of these certifications, it means that such product has almost no VOCs and may be safely used.
