Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/4/1

12 June 2014

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 564/2014

European Union (EU)* : Community Eco-Label Award Scheme (Indoor and Outdoor Paints and Varnishes)

Further to Commercial Information Circular No 467 dated 21 May 2014, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Decision to establish the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes. Details are set out in Commission Decision 2014/312/EU (the Decision), which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:JOL_2014_164_R_0010&from=EN

DETAILS

2.Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 provides that specific EU Ecolabel criteria are to be established according to product groups. To better reflect the state of the art of the market for the product group of indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes and take into account the latest innovation, it is considered appropriate to modify the scope of this product group and establish a revised set of ecological criteria. Decisions 2009/543/EC and 2009/544/EC should therefore be replaced by this Decision.

3.In order to be awarded the EU Ecolabel, an item of indoor and outdoor paint and varnish fall within the definition as stated in Article 1, except those in Article 1(3) of the Decision, should comply with the revised criteria as well as the related assessment and verification requirements as set out in the Annex of the Decision. The criteria for the product group "indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes", as well as the related assessment and verification requirements shall be valid for four years up to 28 May 2018.

ENQUIRIES

4.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Anita WONG)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.