2024 was a decidedly important year for Catas, which has seen its role as a centre of excellence in the wood-furniture sector reconfirmed at an international level. At the end of 2024, Sandro Ciroi, the laboratory’s reference person for issues related to formaldehyde emission, was invited to speak at the thirteenth edition of the European Wood-based panel Symposium, held in Hamburg. He presented an illuminating report to the 400 technicians, operators, scientists and entrepreneurs in attendance, discussing the new limits set by the European Regulations in terms of formaldehyde emission.
The report – produced and presented four-handedly with Bettina Meyer, from the prestigious Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig – not only outlined the evolution of the relevant regulations, but turned the spotlight on the expected regulatory developments that will come into effect from August 2026 and that will reduce the “allowable” emissions by half compared to the current limit, bringing them down to 0.05 ppm (parts per million) or 0.062 milligrams per cubic meter.
The European Regulation will not only affect wood-based panels but will progressively involve every other product that emits this substance, which is moreover “ubiquitous” in nature.
The two speakers also reminded those present that to date the European Chemicals Agency has not yet published the revised guidelines for measuring formaldehyde release, expected last October, a document essential for testing laboratories to properly attest compliance with the new regulations.
In anticipation of this indispensable “transition”, the Hamburg meeting – organised every two years by Fraunhofer WKI and EPF-European Panel Federation, in co-operation with the International Association for technical issues related to wood (iVTH) – saw the two technicians involved in a conversation that certainly made the challenging content offered to the audience “lighter.” They discussed the path leading to the new revision of the “formaldehyde chapter” contained in the European REACH regulation –“Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restrictions of chemicals,” the register of all chemicals used on the continent with which restrictions may be associated – and which articles, goods and products are involved or excluded.
Ciroi and Meyer then reminded those present of the existence of a voluntary working group made up of the most important European laboratories in the wood-furniture sector, committed to drawing up a “Position Paper” thanks to which it will be possible to define all the technical specifications not present in the regulation, so as to enable the harmonisation of testing activities in the different countries, to the benefit of companies that use wood-based panels, which will thus be able to compare themselves with a certain scenario.
Bettina Meyer and Sandro Ciroi concluded their contribution by trying to imagine, on the basis of their studies and expertise, what the dictate of regulations to safeguard consumer protection might be in the future, obviously regarding the formaldehyde content of products, a topic that has always been at the attention of legislators.
