Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel(1), and in particular 8(2) thereof,

11.6.2014 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | L 170/64 ---|---|---|--- * * * COMMISSION DECISION of 6 June 2014 amending Decision 2012/481/EU establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for printed paper (notified under document C(2014) 3590) (Text with EEA relevance) (2014/345/EU) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel (1), and in particular 8(2) thereof, After consulting the European Union Eco-Labelling Board, Whereas: (1) | Commission Decision 2012/481/EU (2) excludes board substrates above 400 g/m2 from the scope, as that Decision requires that printed paper products are printed only on paper bearing the EU Ecolabel as established in Commission Decision 2011/333/EU (3) or in Commission Decision 2012/448/EU (4). However, certain product categories, such as pads, notebooks, exercise books, spiral-bound notebooks and calendars with covers, included in the scope of Decision 2012/481/EU, entail the use of paperboard substrates which exceed 400 g/m2. Therefore, the implementation of the criteria for certain products has been impossible. ---|--- (2) | The scope of Commission Decision 2014/256/EU (5) includes stationery paper products that consist of at least 70 % by weight of paper, paperboard or paper-based substrates and establishes requirements for board substrates with a basis weight higher than 400 g/m2. ---|--- (3) | The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010. ---|--- (4) | Decision 2012/481/EU should therefore be amended accordingly, ---|--- HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 Decision 2012/481/EU is amended as follows: (1) | in Article 1, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: ‘1. The product group “printed paper” shall comprise any printed paper product that consist of at least 90 % by weight of paper, paperboard or paper-based substrates, except for books, catalogues, booklets or forms that shall consist of at least 80 % by weight of paper or paperboard or paper-based substrates. Inserts, covers and any printed paper part of the final printed paper shall be considered to form part of the printed paper product.’; ---|--- (2) | in paragraph 3 of Article 1, point (c) is replaced by the following: | ‘(c) | folders, envelopes, ring binders and stationery paper products.’; ---|--- (3) | in Article 2, point (1) is replaced by the following: | ‘(1) | “Books” means yarn-bound and/or glue-bound printed paper products with hard or soft covers, such as school books, fiction or non-fiction books, reports, handbooks and paperbacks. “Books” do not include journals, brochures, magazines, catalogues published on a regular basis and annual reports.’; ---|--- (4) | in Article 2, point (9) is replaced by the following: | ‘(9) | A “printed paper product” means the product resulting from the processing of a printing material. The processing consists of printing onto paper. In addition to printing, the processing may include finishing, for example folding, stamping and cutting or assembling, using glue, binding, yarn-binding. Printed paper products include newspapers, advertising materials and news-sheets, journals, catalogues, books, leaflets, brochures, posters, business cards and labels.’; ---|--- (5) | Criterion 3 in Annex to Decision 2012/481/EU is amended: ‘Criterion 3 — Recyclability The printed paper product shall be recyclable. The printed paper shall be de-inkable and the non-paper components of the printed paper product shall be easily removable to ensure that those components will not hinder the recycling process. | (a) | Wet strength agents may be used only if the recyclability of the finished product can be proved. ---|--- (b) | Adhesives may be used only if their removability can be proved. ---|--- (c) | Coating varnishes and lamination, including polyethene and/or polyethene/polypropylene, may be used only for covers of books, magazines and catalogues. ---|--- (d) | The de-inkability shall be proved. ---|--- Assessment and verification: the applicant shall provide the test result of the recyclability for wet strength agents and removability for adhesives. The reference test methods are PTS method PTS-RH 021/97 (for wet strength agents), INGEDE Method 12 (for non-soluble adhesive removability), or equivalent test methods. The de-inkability shall be proven by using the “Deinking Scorecard” (*1) of the European Recovered Paper Council or equivalent test methods. Testing shall be performed on three types of paper: uncoated, coated and surface-sized paper. If a type of printing ink is only sold for one or two specific types of paper, it is sufficient to test the paper type(s) in question. The applicant shall provide a declaration that coated and laminated printed paper products are in compliance with point 3(c). Where a part of a printed paper product is easily removable (for instance a plastic cover), the recyclability test may be made without this component. The easiness of removal of the non-paper components shall be proven via a declaration of the paper collecting company, the recycling company or an equivalent organisation. Test methods shown by a competent and independent third party as giving equivalent results may also be used. (*1) Assessment of Print Product Recyclability — Deinkability Score — User's Manual, www.paperrecovery.org, “Publications”.’ " Article 2 This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, 6 June 2014. For the Commission Janez POTOČNIK Member of the Commission * * * (1) OJ L 27, 30.1.2010, p. 1. (2) Commission Decision 2012/481/EU of 16 August 2012 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for printed paper (OJ L 223, 21.8.2012, p. 55). (3) Commission Decision 2011/333/EU of 7 June 2011 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for copying and graphic paper (OJ L 149, 8.6.2011, p. 12). (4) Commission Decision 2012/448/EU of 12 July 2012 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for newsprint paper (OJ L 202, 28.7.2012, p. 26). (5) Commission Decision 2014/256/EU of 2 May 2014 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for converted paper products (OJ L 135, 8.5.2014, p. 24). * * *