Environmental Requirements

Fibre source
Wood and other natural materials from sources that are not certified under a recognised certification scheme (e.g. FSC or AFS) as being sustainably managed shall not originate from Illegal harvesting, Genetically modified organisms, or Uncertified high conservation value communities

Treatment
Wood and natural materials used in furniture and fittings products may not be treated with fungicides and insecticides that are classified due to their hazardous nature by the World Health Organisation as type 1a and Type 1b for storage and/or transportation. Refer http://www.who.int/whopes/
recommendations/en/

The Laminex products are certified by GECA and are compliant with the requirements of this criterion. GECA received confirmation that no treatment is applied to the products supplied by E. M. Utick. Under the standards allowance of a 10% by weight of non-conformance the drawer components are exempt from the requirements of this criterion. GECA received a statement by the board manufacturer that no treatment is applied to the products supplied to E. M. Utick.

Air Emissions
Products made from wood and other natural products that contain formaldehyde based additives, shall be subject to air emission limits for formaldehyde as measured using the Air Chamber, Desiccator or Perforator test methods. Raw timber and natural materials is exempt from this criterion.

GECA received a AWPA certification regarding the product confirming compliance with the E1 allowable limit of 1.0 mg/lt. E. M. Utick is supplied a laminated board that the emission of formaldehyde from is drastically cut to levels well bellow the requirements of this criterion. Under the standards allowance of a 10% by weight of non-conformance the drawer components are exempt from the requirements of this criterion. The Borg manufacturer has not passed the requirements of this criterion, and so is not permitted in the certified product range.

Salvaged & Reclaimed Timbers
Salvaged or reclaimed timbers may be used in certified furniture and fittings. Salvaged and reclaimed timbers must be certified by the EU Flower label or the Nordic Swan label or, once released, satisfy the requirements of the GECA Standard No – : Salvaged and Reclaimed Timbers

Plastics - Resin Identification Code
An appropriate plastics resin identification code promulgated by the Plastics and Chemical Industry Association must be marked on each individual recycled plastic products or components weighing greater than 100g.

ABS edging is used on some of the products under assessment. It is impractical to apply a resin id code to this component therefore it is exempt from compliance with the requirements of this criterion.

Padding – Latex
Latex containing 1.3 butadiene shall be at levels ≤ 1mg/kg latex. The total amount of discharges ( measured as COD or TOC) from the production of foam rubber shall be treated and decreased by 90% in on-site or external sewage treatment works prior to emissions into waterways.

Padding - Polyurethane
1. CFC, HCFC, HFC or Methylene Chloride shall not be used as blowing agents.
2. Analine based amines, and pigments and catalysis based on mercury, lead, cadmium, and chromium must not be added to the padding material.
3. Where organic tin catalysts are used in the production of flexible polyurethane, the manufacturer must have in place a contract with a licensed or registered hazardous waste disposal company who is responsible for the correct disposal of the hazardous waste.

Fabrics
Fabrics must be certified by the Good Environmental Choice Label, the EU Flower label or the Nordic Swan label or satisfy the requirements of the GECA Standard No – 19: Textiles.

Glass
Lead glazing, crystal glass, mirror glass, wire reinforced glass and/or laminated glass must not be used in the furniture or fittings.

Adhesives
Adhesives must be certified by the Good Environmental Choice Label, the EU Flower label the New Zealand Environmental Choice Label or the Nordic Swan label or satisfy the requirements of the GECA Standard No – 1: Adhesives. Adhesives used to fasten textiles on to padding are exempted from the VOC requirements specified in GECA Standard No – 1: Adhesives.

There is only one solvent based adhesive used by Utick of relevance. This adhesive in applying the edgeband to the boards. This adhesive function cannot be covered by a suitable water based alternative. Due to the small quantity of adhesive used the product is declared as compliant to the requirements of this criteria.

Hazardous Materials
The following substances shall not be added to eco-labeled furniture during the production process:
Arsenic
Cadmium
Chromium
Copper
Lead
Mercury
Fluorine
Chlorine
Pentachlorophenol (PCP)
Tar oils (benzo(a)pyrene)

A review of MSDS for all production ingredients reveals none of the substances mentioned in this criterion are included in the nominated product range.

Chemical Additives
Furniture or fittings shall not contain carcinogenic substances in categories 1, 2A as classed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer – http://www.iarc.fr. At levels which expose the user to emissions greater than 1/20th of the NICNAS recommended limits

Prohibited Substances
Halogenated organic binding agents, analine based amines, phalates, aziridine or polyaziridines as well as pigments and additives that contain lead, tin, cadmium VI, mercury or their compounds are prohibited. There are some exceptions, for example the coating of metal gas lifts

Separability
The eco-labeled product shall be easily disassembled making possible the recovery and recycling of materials used. In order to facilitate recycling of the materials used in products, the following materials have to be easily separated:
- Aluminium, if it composes ≥ 5% by weight of the eco-labelled product;
- Steel, if it composes ≥ 10% by weight of the eco-labelled product;
- Glass, if it composes ≥ 10% by weight of the eco-labelled product;
- Plastic, if it composes ≥ 20% by weight of the eco-labelled product.

There is no barrier to the disassembly of the product range, this was observed during a site assessment of the E. M. Utick product range by a GECA qualified assessor.

Product Custodianship
The applicant shall accept their product without additional cost (not including transportation costs) for further recycling, or have arrangements with an Australian plastics or steel recycler to accept the product, or have an established product stewardship program.

Until the Laminex board recycling program is operational EM Utick will undertake shredding of the returned product and make it available as biomass for electricity generation. This will divert waste from landfill and, in the absence of alternative waste disposal routes, this is acceptable to GECA.

Coatings and treatments
Furniture and fittings products (or components) must not be impregnated, labelled, coated or otherwise treated in a manner which would prevent post consumer recycling. Exemption may be made for products with a long product life where a coating or treatment would further extend the useful life of the product.

Replacement Parts
For those parts of a product which are subject to wear, e.g. hinges, locks, table leaves, functionally compatible replacements shall be guaranteed for a period of at least five years.Replacement parts are available to all products.

Replacement parts are available for parts that are subject to wear as outlined in the products warranty statement and corporate policy.

Recycled furniture
Recycled furniture can be licensed in conformation to this standard providing that the furniture has not been refinished or coated with any materials except for the purpose of cleaning.