Starting from April 26, 2023, the revision of the local standard SZJG 54-2017 Technical Specification for Low Volatile Organic Compound Content Paint has been initiated by the China National Coating Industry Association and the Shenzhen Academy of Metrology and Quality Inspection, under the commission of Shenzhen's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE). This draft standard is now open for public consultation, and feedback and opinions will be welcomed by filling out the survey questionnaire until December 15, 2023.
The local standard was released by Shenzhen's MEE on December 22, 2017. It is mandatory within the municipality and the regulated scope includes the sales and use of relevant coating products.
Based on the findings of Shenzhen's initial special survey on the total amount of VOCs pollution sources, combined with the city's current industrial landscape, the proposed standard focuses on industries heavily reliant on paints such as road and traffic sign construction, container manufacturing, passenger car manufacturing, large and medium-sized vehicle manufacturing, automotive interior parts manufacturing, ship repair, bicycle manufacturing, wooden furniture and wood products manufacturing, toy manufacturing, and electronic and electrical product manufacturing. As the industrial use of paints continues to expand, the drafting units believe it is necessary to broaden the scope of regulation.
The standard defines VOCs as "any organic compound with an initial boiling point equal to or below 250°C measured at a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa," aligning with the EU's Paint Directive (Council Directive 1999/13/EC). However, GB/T 5206-2015 Paints and varnishes-Terms and definitions defines VOCs as "any organic liquid and/or solid that can naturally evaporate under normal temperature and pressure in the atmospheric environment where it is located, referred to as the evaporative definition." This inconsistency may complicate the detection and testing of VOCs. Therefore, the drafting units believe it is appropriate to seek public opinions to help establish a more harmonized and practical definition.
In addition, the consultation also invite interested parties to submit their opinions on the following matters:
Paint classification
Updates and content limits of regulated hazardous substances
Prohibited substances
Testing methods
Technology bottleneck for low VOCs and water-based paints
Exemption for paints used in special occassions
Approximate range of VOC content in different types of paints (only applicable for manufacturers)
Opinions on the existing mandatory national standard for industrial paints(such as GB 30981-2020), and state the reason
Recommendations for current environmental protection standards in developed countries such as Europe and the United States that can be referred to
Recommendations for environmental protection requirements of well-known companies that can be referred to
How the standard facilitate to comply with requirements for new pollutant control from a technical perspective
Other comments and suggestions
Interests in participating in drafting and details for support(technology, testing, experimental equipment, funds, etc.)
The survey questionnaire can be accessed here.
