Commission Decision of 30 November 2009 on establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label for wooden furniture (notified under document C(2009) 9522) (Text with EEA relevance) (2009/894/EC) (repealed)

6. Criteria for the Final Product

(a) Durability and safety

The product shall fulfil the requirements on durability, strength, safety and stability in EN standards applicable to the usage of the product. If no EN standard exists, the requirements in ISO standards shall be used. If no EN or ISO standard exists, an evaluation of the product*s durability, strength, safety and stability on the basis of the design and choice of materials shall be performed by an independent test institution.

The user manual will provide the list of norms and standards which shall be used for the durability assessment.

Given the importance of the durability criterion and in order to improve the durability assessment of a product, an initiative will be taken by the EUEB to promote the adoption of EN durability standards which will have to be available for the next revision of the present criteria.

Assessment and verification: The producer shall provide a declaration completed with documentation on the test methods performed by the accredited institution and the test results.

(b) Maintenance

Maintenance of products shall be possible without organic based solvents.

The manufacturer shall guarantee the possibility of acquiring spare part (original functional items or items fulfilling equivalent functions) upon request throughout the actual period of their industrial manufacturing and for a period of 5 years as of the date when production of the relevant range is stopped.

Assessment and verification: The applicant and/or his supplier shall provide a declaration completed with documents showing that this criterion is met.

(c) Recycling and waste

The product must be easily recyclable. A detailed description of the best ways to dispose of the product (reuse, recycling, take back initiative by the applicant, energy production) shall be given to the consumer, ranking them according to their impact on the environment. For each option the precautions to be taken to limit the impact on the environment will have to be clearly stated.

Assessment and verification: The applicant and/or his supplier shall provide a sample of the information which will be supplied and a justification of the recommendations.

(d) Consumer information

The following information shall be supplied with the Ecolabelled product:

• Information on the fitness for purpose, on the basis of domestic or contract use (light or heavy, indoor or outdoor);

• Information on cleaning and care;

• Instruction for the replacement of glass (if any) upon request in case of damage or breakage from manufacturer or retailer;

• Instruction that the local authorities should be contacted on the best way to dispose of old furniture and materials;

• Instruction for assembly;

• Best use from an ergonomic point of view, where relevant;

• Name of the species of solid wood;

• Indicate any treatments or preservatives that have been used on outdoor products (chemical, biological or physical);

• Recommendation that the consumer use EU Ecolabelled products for future preservation of the furniture.

Assessment and verification: The applicant shall provide a sample of the information material supplied with the eco-labelled product.

(e) Packaging of the final product

Packaging must fulfil the following requirements:

(i)

Made out of one of the following:

• easily recyclable material;

• materials taken from renewable resources;

• materials intended to be reusable, such as textile coverings.

(ii)

All materials shall be easily separable by hand in recyclable parts consisting of one material (e.g. cardboard, paper, plastic, textiles).

Assessment and verification: A description of the product packaging shall be provided on application, together with a corresponding declaration of compliance with these criteria.

(f) Information on the packaging

The following text shall appear on the packaging:

‘For more information as to why this product has been awarded the Flower, please visit the website: http://www.ecolabel.eu’

The following text (or equivalent text) shall also appear on the packaging and in the user manual:

‘For more information visit the European Eco-label website. Additional information can be obtained at: name/address of the consumer department of the applicant’.

Assessment and verification: The applicant shall provide a sample of the product’s packaging and user manual and of the information supplied with the product, together with a declaration of compliance with each part of this criterion.

(g) Information appearing on the eco-label

Box 2 of the Eco-label shall contain the following text:

• Wood from well managed forests;

• restricted hazardous substances;

• product tested for durability.

Assessment and verification: The applicant shall provide a sample of the product packaging showing the label, together with a declaration of compliance with this criterion.