In early July 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) released the revised GB/T 35607—2024 Green Product Assessment—Furniture and GB/T 26694—2024 Specification for Green Design Assessment of Furniture. These are two “green” standards in the furniture sector. The implementation of these standards will support SAMR’s green product evaluation system, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)’s green manufacturing initiative, and the recent consumer goods trade-in program initiated by the State Council.
Specifically, GB/T 35607—2024 specifies the evaluation requirements and methods for green furniture products, replacing the previous 2017 version. Compared to its predecessor, GB/T 35607—2024 introduces new requirements for comprehensive wood utilization rate, artificial board utilization rate, resource reduction, and environmental protection standards for product packaging. It also adds limits on lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium content in product packaging, as well as stricter formaldehyde emission limits, thus setting higher technical standards for green furniture.
GB/T 26694—2024 defines the terms and definitions related to green furniture design, provides the objectives and principles of evaluation, specifies the evaluation requirements, and outlines corresponding verification methods. This standard replaces the previous 2011 version. Compared to its predecessor, GB/T 26694—2024 introduces new content, such as lifecycle assessment reports, quality evaluation standards for various furniture products, and a framework for lifecycle assessment methods for furniture products, aligning it more closely with the “combination of lifecycle assessment and indicator evaluation” principle proposed in the GB/T 32161-2015 General principles for eco-design product assessment, a core standard in MIIT’s green manufacturing standards framework.
As China accelerates its green transition, SAMR’s green product evaluation system and MIIT’s green manufacturing initiative, although voluntary, are expected to have an increasing impact on the market. Coupled with the consumer goods trade-in program initiated by the State Council and supported by various ministries this year, these two standards are poised to significantly influence the furniture industry. Therefore, it is recommended that European furniture stakeholders familiarize themselves with these standards to prepare for potential “green thresholds” in the future Chinese market.
