China has recently published mandatory national standards limiting the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other substances used in coatings, inks and adhesives.
Issued by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC), the publication of the standards is intended to support China’s 2020 Volatile Organic Compounds Management Plan. The goal of the Plan is to reduce VOC emissions by 10% by limiting the use of VOCs and promoting the use of substitute compounds.
VOCs include chemicals such as benzene, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde and xylene, and are widely found in a variety of building materials like paints, varnishes and adhesives, as well as in a number of household products. VOCs are also emitted from some types of office equipment during use, such as copiers and printers.
The nine new GB standards applicable to VOCs were released from December 2019 through March 2020, with most taking effect as of December 1, 2020. GB 38507-2020, Limits of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in printing ink, takes effect as of April 1, 2021.
