On December 1, the "Green Panel Procurement Specification" issued by the Ministry of Commerce officially came into effect. It is understood that this is the first domestic standard to regulate green panels and the first green panel standard in China to align with international standards. The "3G" standard divides panels into grades. The Specification clearly divides green panels into G1, G2, and G3 grades, with G1 being the highest level, made with aldehyde-free adhesives, referred to as aldehyde-free grade; G2 is currently the highest environmental protection level internationally, referred to as safe aldehyde grade; and G3 is the lowest level of green panels. The formaldehyde release of G1 is very low, close to that of natural wood; G2's formaldehyde release is ≤0.3mg/L, and G3's formaldehyde release is ≤0.5mg/L.

In the future, citizens will be able to identify green and environmentally friendly panels simply by checking for the "3G" mark on the product. Compared with the current national E-level standard, the Specification has stricter control over formaldehyde release, as can be seen from the data. The current national E-level is divided into three standards: E0, E1, and E2. E0 formaldehyde release ≤0.5mg/L, E1 formaldehyde release ≤1.5mg/L, and E2 formaldehyde release ≤5.0mg/L. It is understood that panels that meet the Specification will be affixed with a green home building materials 3G environmental protection mark, indicating the level of compliance. In addition to product compliance with the Specification, the China Green Home Environment Technology Working Committee will also entrust a third party to audit the manufacturer's entire production process to ensure that it can produce high-quality and stable green panel products. Aldehyde-free grade is not absolutely "zero formaldehyde". Currently, flooring and panels commonly known as "aldehyde-free" on the market, because wood itself contains trace amounts of formaldehyde, only use adhesives that do not add formaldehyde, does not mean that the product does not contain formaldehyde. It is understood that the raw materials such as wood or non-wood plant fibers themselves will also release formaldehyde, and the amount of formaldehyde released varies depending on the tree species. Current data shows that the formaldehyde release of wood is around 0.2mg/L. According to the "Green Panel Procurement Specification" issued by the Ministry of Commerce, green panels produced with aldehyde-free adhesives refer to engineered wood products where the adhesives used in the manufacturing process are aldehyde-free adhesives, and the free formaldehyde release in the engineered wood is no higher than the formaldehyde release of the wood or non-wood plant fiber raw materials used, and products meeting this requirement are positioned as the highest grade G1 of green panels. Therefore, to identify whether a panel product is a green panel using aldehyde-free adhesives, clarifying the type of adhesive used is one of the key factors. Aldehyde-free adhesives themselves do not add formaldehyde; for example, soybean glue, starch glue, MDI modified glue, and resin adhesives currently used on the market are all aldehyde-free adhesives. Therefore, aldehyde-free panels cannot guarantee that they are absolutely formaldehyde-free. At the same time, the "3G" here only indicates the environmental protection level of the base material used in the production of furniture products, and the processing process may also produce formaldehyde. Taking cabinets as an example, in addition to the base material of the panels, they also need to undergo surface treatment, painting, and edge sealing. In these processing steps, it is difficult to say that components containing formaldehyde will not be introduced, so it is almost impossible to achieve completely "zero formaldehyde." The sources of pollution in cabinets include not only formaldehyde but also harmful substances such as benzene. During installation, the use of low-priced, low-density baseboards and multi-layer plywood is also possible. Therefore, the "3G" label can only serve as an important reference for consumers when purchasing environmentally friendly products and cannot fully represent its environmental protection level. The superposition effect cannot be ignored. Industry experts say that a single sample meeting the standard does not mean that the home is environmentally friendly; using too many decorative materials together may still cause harm. Many products may meet national standards when taken individually, but when home materials and products are combined, the overall indoor air quality may not meet the standard. In recent years, many people who have just moved into newly renovated residential buildings or work in high-end office buildings have experienced discomfort such as headaches, chest tightness, easy fatigue, irritability, and skin allergic reactions. This is called "sick building syndrome," which has two main causes: one is that the indoor fresh air volume is insufficient in most buildings in China, and the ventilation frequency is not enough; the other important reason is that China currently does not have corresponding regulations on the loading capacity (carrying rate) of materials used in decoration, and many consumers do not have control standards for the amount of panels used during home decoration. Selection does not have to be afraid of aldehydes. For the health of their families, homeowners always put environmental protection first when decorating. Recently, furniture with the slogan "zero formaldehyde" has begun to appear on the market. Although it is much more expensive than ordinary furniture, it has still been favored by many homeowners. "When buying furniture, the style and color are certainly important considerations, but health and environmental protection are the top priorities. Now that there are elderly people and children at home, and there have been so many incidents about formaldehyde in furniture, I am really worried when buying," said Mr. Sang, a citizen. He said he was not very clear about the newly implemented regulations, "Since there are new regulations, we need to study them. Even if the price is a little higher, we should buy greener and more environmentally friendly products." However, he is not very trusting of the manufacturers' labels. "Take cabinets, for example. When I go to the mall, every store says it is one of the top ten brands, using environmentally friendly materials, and says that its formaldehyde content absolutely meets the strictest standards during factory production. I don't know who to believe, especially those that claim to be completely zero formaldehyde. Can they really do it?" It is understood that the reason why "zero formaldehyde" furniture can become a market selling point is fundamentally due to consumers' fear of formaldehyde. There are rumors everywhere in life that formaldehyde can cause cancer and leukemia. Regarding such rumors, industry experts say that the harm mentioned here is caused by excessive formaldehyde. As long as the formaldehyde release in the panels meets national standards, consumers do not need to be too nervous when purchasing. In fact, the term "zero formaldehyde" is not scientific. After the implementation of the new regulations, furniture companies should be cautious about claiming "zero formaldehyde." Armstrong is committed to the production and application of environmentally friendly building materials.