Dr Peter Sauerwein, Managing Director of the ‘Qualitätsgemeinschaft Holzwerkstoffe e.V.’ quality association, (left) presents the first PREMIUM quality certificate to Claus Seemann, Head of Core Technology Product Management at Pfleiderer. Photo: QG Holzwerkstoffe
Environmentally friendly, top quality and easy to process. These are three essential decision-making criteria for clients who are choosing a wood-based panel. For this reason, it is helpful if these aspects can be evidenced with a certificate or a quality label. The Qualitätsgemeinschaft Holzwerkstoffe (a German quality association for wood-based panels) has developed a quality label for this purpose. It is the first label to implement limits for VOC emissions and it monitors the criteria in Germany’s regulations concerning used wood. Pfleiderer Holzwerkstoffe GmbH is the first company to receive the PREMIUM quality label, which it has been awarded for the ‘LivingBoard’ product.
In addition to the standard values, this quality label applies its own threshold values for formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol and lindane, as well as for VOCs and PAHs. Evidence of the product’s environmental characteristics must be given in the form of an environmental declaration and the quality of the products is assured by external monitoring (see also the article entitled ‘Refugee Accommodation’).
