A PRODUCT awareness campaign across Australasia and the South Pacific that delivers a ‘peace of mind’ safety message to consumers of plywood and panel products has gained new momentum with support from allied industries.

Cornerstone of the campaign is an adhesive label – a ‘green ticket’ – that assures consumers the manufactured products they are buying have been independently tested and certified for low formaldehyde emissions and are sourced from a sustainable and renewable forests.

The Housing Industry Association and the multi-billion-dollar furniture industry have backed the campaign, initiated by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia. 

More than 100,000 of the labels are being attached to products manufactured by the Furniture Industries Association of Australia.

The campaign has spread to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji where EWPAA members are distributing the labels to furniture and wood panel manufacturers and enclosing them in packs in their own product distribution chain.

“Connecting with consumers of wood is no longer purely about product distribution, it’s about branding and consumer awareness – and building a product’s credibility,” EWPAA general manger Simon Dorries said.

“In this new era of experimental marketing, consumers want to touch a product first hand and be assured with a guarantee that it is safe for them and their families.”
A major aim of the EWPAA green ticket campaign is to counteract increasing imports from Asia of plywood, flat-pack shelving and furniture components that are consistently failing standards for formaldehyde emissions.

“These imported products are deceptive and dangerous,” Mr Dorries said. “What’s more a lot of this stuff is unbranded without any stamp to indicate where it came from.”

Chief executive of the Furniture Industry Association of Australia Martin Lewis said the industry would gain new strength by partnering EWPAA on consumer awareness.

“The campaign will help the furniture industry promote security, quality, design, style, environmental and sustainability and health benefits of its Australian products,” he said.

FIAA members are also displaying an EWPAA Certificate of Assurance in their showrooms that assures buyers that their products are manufactured in Australasia and independently tested and certified as low emission class Eo.

E1 is the grade accepted internationally as ‘low formaldehyde’. Higher grades such as E2 are considered high formaldehyde and not suitable for use indoors or in poorly ventilated areas. 

Australasian plywood standards require labelling of formaldehyde emissions. Every plywood sheet complying with these standards must be labelled with the formaldehyde emission class.

”While Australian industry has been diligent to reduce formaldehyde levels, the same is not so of competing countries,” Simon Dorries said.

“China in particular does not appear to have any effective regulations which require formaldehyde reduction to ensure products are safe and without risk to health.”

Brand awareness .. Simon Dorries (centre) discusses the EWPAA green label campaign with Andy McNaught, FWPA solid wood products advisory group member, and Peter Juniper, A3P’s solid wood manager.