Industry Standards

EN STANDARDS PUBLICATION

EN 233:1999 Wallcoverings in roll form – Specifications for finished wallpapers, wall vinyls and plastics wallcoverings

EN 234:1997 Wallcoverings in roll form – Specification for wallcoverings for subsequent decoration

EN 235:2002 Wallcoverings in roll form – Vocabulary and symbols

EN 259-1:2001 Wallcoverings in roll form – Heavy duty wallcoverings-
Part 1: Specifications

EN 259-2:2001 Wallcoverings in roll form – Heavy duty wallcoverings-
Part 2: Determination of impact resistance

EN 266 :1992 Specification for textile wallcoverings

EN 12149:1998 Wallcoverings in roll form – Determination of migration of heavy metals and certain other elements, of vinyl chloride monomer and of formaldehyde release

EN 12956:1999 Wallcoverings in roll form – Determination of dimensions, straightness, spongeability and washability

EN12781:2001 Wallcoverings – Specification for cork panels

EN13085:2001 Wallcoverings – Specification for cork rolls

Latest Standard Published :

EN15102:2007 Decorative wallcoverings – Roll and panel form products

This standard was prepared by CEN/TC 99 Wallcoverings Technical Committee under a mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and supports the essential requirements of the Construction Products Directive. It was published in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) on 18 December 2009.

Manufacturers, importers, and distributors are now able to CE mark their decorative wallcoverings from this point forward.
It is now mandatory for all manufacturers, importers, and distributors placing product on the market from 1 January 2011.
The Date of Withdrawal of conflicting national standards was 1 January 2011

A European standard (EN) is valid for five years, and is reviewed after this period of time. CEN owns the copyright of standards

Copies can be bought via CEN’s website : www.cenorm.be

IGI QUALITY MARK

Introduction

There is a common desire for some kind of assurance that the goods we buy are “safe”, not only for ourselves but for the environment as a whole.
IGI is determined that rolls of wallcoverings should be governed by a system of control that will ensure they do not cause any problems for the consumer or the world at large. IGI has therefore established the ground rules for a quality assurance system that is applicable worldwide. IGI proposes to act as the monitoring body for the award of a distinctive symbol that can be used on rolls and packaging to indicate that the product conforms to these rules.

10 Product Categories:
1. Wallpaper   simplex (including whites for subsequent decoration)
2. Wallpaper    duplex (including whites for subsequent decoration)
3. Solid Vinyl   paper-backed
4. Solid Vinyl   other backing (specify)
5. Blown Vinyl   chemically or mechanically embossed
6. Textile Wallcoverings
7. Woodchip
8. Non Woven direct printed or coated & printed
9. Non Woven  backed solid vinyl
10. Non Woven backed blown vinyl

Rules of the IGI Quality Mark

A Company may be awarded the IGI Quality Mark if:

It has submitted a formal statement to IGI that its product conforms to the CEN Standards :
- EN 233:1999
- EN 234: 1996
- EN 259-1: 2001
- EN 266: 1991

AND

It has properly selected its sample to be tested in the appropriate category, submitted it to the IGI Secretariat for testing and approval as complying with the CEN tests listed above, plus other tests specified here by IGI (see later).

CEN Standards Definitions
EN 233: 1999: Wallcoverings in roll form – Specification for finished wallpapers, wall vinyls and plastic wallcoverings.
EN 234: 1996: Wallcoverings in roll form – Specification for wallcoverings for subsequent decoration.
EN 259-1:2001:Wallcoverings in roll form – Specification for heavy duty wallcoverings.
EN 266:1991:Wallcoverings in roll form – Specification for textile wallcoverings.

To obtain the IGI Quality Mark, please contact IGI Secretariat on info@igiwallcoverings.org

IGI QUALITY MARK (next)

Access to the IGI Quality Mark

Each candidate manufacturer who wishes to register product(s) for the IGI Quality Mark must:
• Complete one Questionnaire per product
• Submit a formal statement that its product conforms to the CEN Standards.
• Submit one roll per product to be tested. (Sample should be finished wrapped labelled product)
• Pay the annual IGI Quality Mark fee

The IGI Quality Board will have the option to decide which product type will be tested. One product type per company will be tested.

Upon receipt of the results from the test house, the IGI Quality Mark will be:
• Granted Without Remark
• Granted With Remark
• Declined

IGI Quality Mark Renewal

Each year, the companies who are using the IGI Quality Mark and wish to continue to use it for an additional year must:

• Resubmit a questionnaire for the selected product(s)
• Submit 3 roll- labels, batch numbers and scans of different designs including production date for each product type
• IGI will then randomly pick one label and confirm the product selected to the manufacturer
• Manufacturer will send select roll (properly wrapped and labeled) directly to test house
• Pay the annual IGI Quality Mark fee

Each year, no more than one sample per company will be tested. The selected sample will be tested on all criteria.

The test result is sent anonymously to the IGI Quality Board which will decide which measures to apply in case of remarks:

• Automatic withdrawal
• Warning requiring additional testing at the company’s costs
• Simple warning in writing

If necessary, the manufacturer may appeal against the decision in front of the IGI Executive Committee

IGI Quality Mark Fee

IGI Member – yearly Fee: 750 Euro
Non- Member – yearly Fee: 1500 Euro

IGI Quality Board

The IGI Quality Board will be comprised of the IGI Technical Committee members, 1 member of the IGI Marketing Committee, 1 member of the Executive Committee and the IGI Secretary General.

Test House

The IGI Quality Board will be the contact with the selected test house:

Wilhelm-Klauditz Institut
Material Analysis and Indoor Chemistry
Bienroder Weg 54E
D – 38108 Braunschweig
Germany
www.wki.fhg.de

The IGI Quality Mark Symbol

The symbol as used on rolls should be printed in black, and should have a dimension of not less than 10mm and not more than 20mm diameter.
Print ready logo of the symbol will be furnished to each company by IGI once the IGI Secretariat has received satisfactory statements from the Test House.

To obtain the IGI Quality Mark, please contact IGI Secretariat on info@igiwallcoverings.org

IGI QUALITY MARK – Composition Limits

Composition Limits

A. Formaldehyde:
12mg/100gr (≤ 0.05 ppm) of wallcovering measured in accordance with test C of EN 12149, using either the German modified WK1 Water Bottle Test.

B. Heavy Metals:
The migration of heavy metals measured in mg/kg of wallcovering in accordance with test A of EN 12149 shall not exceed the following values:

Antimony                20    mg/kg
Arsenic                       3    mg/kg
Barium                  500    mg/kg
Cadmium                   3    mg/kg
Chromium (VI)      20    mg/kg
Lead                        20    mg/kg
Mercury                 20    mg/kg
Selenium              ≤10    mg/kg

C. Vinyl Chloride:
< 0.2 mg/kg of wallcovering measured in accordance with test B of EN 12149,
using the German S35 LMBG 80.32-1 (EG).

Other Tests

Dry Tear Strength
Level: Minimum 450 mN when measured in both Machine Direction (MD) and Cross Direction (CD)
Test Method : ISO 1974:1990 – Determination of internal tearing resistance of paper.

To obtain the IGI Quality Mark, please contact IGI Secretariat on info@igiwallcoverings.org

CEN

Standardisation Bodies

CEN, Comité Européen de Normalisation (European Committee for Standardisation)

The CEN has granted IGI a liaison status to the Technical Committee on Wallcovering – TC 99 and on Dangerous Substances - TC 351.

CEN’s mission is to promote voluntary technical harmonisation in Europe in conjunction with worldwide bodies and its partners in Europe. Harmonisation diminishes trade barriers, promotes safety, allows interoperability of products, systems and services, and promotes common technical understanding.

CEN Technical Committee are responsible for the programming and planning of the technical work in the form of a Business Plan, for the monitoring and the execution of the work in accordance with the agreed Business Plan and for the management of the standards making process.

For more information on CEN: www.cenorm.be

NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

National Associations

Mrs Manhong Zhang
China Wallcovering Association
Room 210 – WeiKeda Building
Sanlihe Road No. 9
HaiDian District
100037 Beijing
China
Email: cwa@chinawallcovering.com
www.chinawallcovering.com

Mr. Karsten Brandt
Verband der Deutschen Tapetenindustrie VDT E.V
Berliner Allee 61
40212 Düsseldorf
Germany
Ph: +49 0211 – 862 864 – 10
Fax:+49 0211 – 862 864 – 13
http://www.tapeten.de
http://www.blog.tapeten.de

Showroom in Hamburg:
http://www.lust-auf-tapetenwechsel.de

Mr. Mauro Jannelli
Assoparati
Piazza Concilliazione 1
IT – 20028 Milano
Italy
Ph: + 39 02 498 1051
Fax:+ 39 02 481 6947
Email: viscardi@assografici.it

Mr. Georgy Semenov
Mrs. Tatiana Klimova
ROSOBOI – Russian Association of the Wallpaper Manufacturers
Verhnaya Krasnoselskaja 2
RU – 107140 Moskau
Russia
Ph: +709 526 476 10
Fax: +709 593 342 04
Email: mail@rosoboi.ru

Mrs. Alison Brown
Wallcoverings Sector Council
British Coatings Federation Ltd
The Stables
Thorncroft Manor
Thorncroft Drive
Leatherhead Surrey KT22 8JB
United Kingdom
Ph: 01372 700848
Fax: 01372 700851
Email: alison.brown@bcf.co.uk
Wallpaper Sector Council: www.coatings.org.uk/Sectors/Wallcoverings.aspx

Mr. Christopher Mundschenk
Wallcoverings Association
401 North Michigan Avenue
USA – IL 60611 Chicago
United States
Ph: +1 312 321 5166
www.wallcoverings.org