131V1 Criteria A

Eco Mark Product Category No.131“Products for Civil Engineering Version 1.21” Certification Criteria

Category A. Wood
Japan Environment Association
Eco Mark Office
1. Purpose of Establishing Certification Criteria
In civil engineering/construction-related business that is implemented as part ofsocial infrastructure development, ripple effects in the economy are expected, but at thesame time a significant environmental load is imposed on the natural environment of
the oceans, rivers and land as well as the living environment. New forms of civilengineering-/construction-related business based on the principles of the “Basic
Environmental Law,” such as through harmonization with the natural environment,
formation of a good living environment, prevention of global warming by improving
energy efficiency, etc., are therefore being explored.
In addition to these kinds of environmental conservation efforts, it was also
determined that in the civil engineering/construction-related business it is necessary to
promote the control of waste generation (reduction), secondary uses (reuse) and recovery
for further use (recycling) in accordance with the “Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing
Law,” the “Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-Based Society,” the “Law Concerning
Promotion of the Procurement of Eco-friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other
Entities (Green Procurement Law)” and the “Law for Recycling Materials forConstruction (Construction Recycling Law).” Furthermore, independent efforts by civilengineering/construction enterprises for reduction of the environmental load, the“Guidelines for Green Procurement in the Construction Industry” were formulated in
2002.
In Japan’s material balance, the proportion attributable to civil engineering andconstruction-related business accounts for approximately 40% of new resources (2002White Paper on a Recycling-Oriented Economic System; FY2001 Major Construction
Materials Demand Forecast), approximately 20% of industrial wastes andapproximately 40% of wastes collected at final landfill sites (2002 Environmental White
Paper). It can therefore be expected that an environmentally-sound materials cycle topromote reduction, reuse and recycling will have a major impact on the structure ofsociety.
The load placed on elements of the environment by the civil engineering andconstruction-related business varies according to many environmental factors such as
the site of the business and the methods and types of materials used. As theenvironmental load may be reduced by applying Eco Mark Product Certification to
construction materials, one of the factors affecting this, the Eco Mark Certification
Criteria for newly applied products, shall be established to certify such materials as‘construction products’ after organizing and integrating them with products that are
already certified.

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131V1 Criteria A
The new certification criteria, in addition to minimizing the consumption of newmaterials and the generation of wastes on the basis of using recycled materials, as has
been recommended, and taking into consideration the reduced use of hazardous
substances, energy saving, the impact on the ecosystem, etc., that are intended to reduce
the environmental load imposed by construction work and long-term use, both of which
may be characteristic of construction products, aim at the same time to achieve a
symbiotic relationship with nature by creating a secondary natural environment. The
concept of the life cycle of materials and products will be introduced into the evaluation,
taking into consideration the life stage when the construction work is commenced as aconstruction product, and as many concrete environmental load items as possible havebeen selected.

2. Applicable Scope
Wooden tiling/blocks, Wood pavement materials
3. Terminology
Terms for the common standard
RecycleMaterials recycling only; energy recovery (thermal recycling)
is not included.
Recycled materials
Post-consumer materials or pre-consumer materials, or a
combination of these. However, this product category shall
include thinned wood, less useful wood, slag resulting fromindustrial activities, etc., in recycled materials.
Pre-consumer
Materials or rejected products generated from a disposal routematerials
in a product manufacturing process, excluding those that arerecycled within the same process (plant).
Post-consumer material Material or product which was disposed of after being used asa product
Prescribed constituents Material components added for the intended purpose of giving
certain characteristics to the products. Impurities that aretechnically unavoidable in the manufacturing process are notincluded.
Terms for wood
Reused/Unused woodThinned-out log

Indicates the following: forest thinnings, waste wood,construction waste wood, and less useful wood.
Wood produced from a reduction in the density of the tree typethat is the objective of management based on the intensity of
the forest stand2

131V1 Criteria A
Waste wood

Construction wastewood

Less useful wood

Used wood (used packing materials, etc.), remainder materials
generated in wood processing plants (shavings generated inplywood/lumber plants, etc., low quality chips not used as raw
materials for paper, etc.), and wood and wooden materials suchas trimmed branches, bark, etc.
Wood and wooden materials disposed of as waste during
construction work such as from the dismantling of buildings,
construction of new buildings, building extensions,renovations, and construction related to other work.
Abandoned lumber in the forest, shrubs, tree roots, woodobtained from lumber damaged by disease, pests, disasters,
bent or small diameter logs, etc. Also includes bamboo cut
down in bamboo groves for the purpose of maintenance andmanagement in environment preservation. Small diameterlogs measuring less than 14 cm in diameter corresponding to“a” or “b” below must be certified as forests sustainably
managed by an independent third party or publicorganization.
a. Small diameter logs from logs felled from natural forests.
b. Small diameter logs from logs produced by clear cutting,Waste plant fiber

Wooden partpatch logging, and strip logging in plantation forests.
Agricultural residues generated during harvesting and the
manufacturing process such as rice hulls, and used packaging
materials such as jute bags, etc.
Actual wood (including plant fibers)

4. Certification Criteria and Certification Procedure
Any certification verifying conformity with the criteria shall be signed by theapplicant and submitted.
4-1. Environmental Criteria and Certification Procedure(1) In manufacturing the applied product, related environmental laws and regulations
and pollution control agreement (hereinafter referred to as the “Environmental Laws,etc.”) must be followed with respect to air pollution, water contamination, noise,
offensive odor, and emission of hazardous substances in the area where the plant
performing the final manufacturing process is located.
In addition, the state of compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. for the past
five years from the date of application (whether there is any violation) must bereported. If there is any violation, proper remedies and preventive measures shallhave been already taken, and the related Environmental Laws, etc. must thereafter
be followed appropriately.

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131V1 Criteria A[Certification Procedure]With respect to the compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. in the area
where the plant performing the final manufacturing process is located, acertificate issued by the representative of the business of manufacturing theapplied product or the relevant plant manager (entry or Attachment of a list ofnames of the Environmental Laws, etc.) must be submitted.
In addition, the applicants shall report whether there is any violation in the past
five years, including a violation subject to administrative punishment oradministrative guidance, and if there is, the following documents in a and b mustbe submitted:
a. With respect to the fact of violation, guidance documents from administrative
agencies (including order of correction and warning) and copies of written
answers (including those reporting causes and results of correction) to such
documents (clearly indicating a series of communication);b. Following materials (copies of recording documents, etc.) concerning themanagement system for compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. in 1)5):
1) List of the Environmental Laws, etc. related to the area where the plant
is located;
2) Implementation system (organization chart with roles, etc.);
3) Bylaws stipulating retention of recording documents;
4) Recurrence prevention measures (future preventive measures)
5) State of implementation based on the recurrence prevention measures(check results of on-site inspection, etc. as compliance condition).
(2) For products using lumber from dismantled buildings (wood and wooden materials
disposed in dismantling), materials subject to preservatives, termicides, andpesticides shall be differentiated and eliminated. The content of harmful substancesin these products shall meet the requirements for hexavalent chromium and arsenic
given in Attached Table 5 which is provide by the detailed enforcement regulations(December 26, 2002, Environment Ministry Ordinance No. 29) of the Soil Pollution
Control Law.
[Certification Procedure]
Documents certifying that wood from dismantled buildings is sorted in use or not
used (work manual, workflow, etc.) shall be submitted. If using such waste woodfrom dismantled buildings, results of tests performed by a third party testing
centers or public institutions shall be submitted.
(3) Wood preservatives shall be approved by the Japan Wood Preserving Association.
[Certification Procedure]
The use of wood preservatives shall be described in the Application Form for Eco
Mark Certification for details. A document stating the reasons for their use andcertifying that the preservative agents have been approved by the Japan Wood
Preserving Association shall be submitted.

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131V1 Criteria A(4) If paper (virgin pulp) and wood are used as the material, the raw wood shall be
harvested in legally appropriate procedure consistent with the forest laws of timber
producing countries or regions. However, this item is not applicable for waste wood,construction waste wood or less useful wood.
[Certification Procedure]
A certificate shall be submitted to prove that the timber whose legality has beenverified* in accordance with “Guideline for Verification on Legality andSustainability of Wood and Wood Products” of Forestry Agency has been in custody
to be separated by the applicant or the paper manufacturer and is supplied to theapplied products. At the same time, the applicant or the paper manufacturer who
issues the above certificate shall submit any of the following certificates:
1) Certificate that the applicant or the paper manufacturer has been assessed andauthenticated by the CoC (Chain of Custody) Certification System;
2) Certificate of the authorized company (that guarantees the association
member’s adequate way of supplying wood and wood products verified withlegality, etc.); and
3) Code of management practice which stipulates the way of custody to manage
wood and wood products verified with legality (the method in the case that thetimber verified with legality only is handled. The same applies to hereunder),retention of certificates for a predetermined period, etc.
In the event that Item 2) or 3) above is chosen and the certificate is submitted, theapplicant who issues the above-mentioned certificates or the material suppliershall publicly announce through its web site the code of management practiceprescribed by the association concerned in the case of Item 2) and shall prescribeand publicly announce through its website the code of management practiceconcerning the scheme to assess and guarantee the system for separative
management, document management for retention of certificates for apredetermined period, etc. in the case of Item 3).
*Confirm the certificate issued by the related company closest in commercial
process, which at least verifies that wood and wood products they supply are withlegality and under separative custody management.
(5) Plastic additives shall conform to the positive list system of food utensils, containers
and packaging. As for the elution of harmful substances, the plastics shall conform to
the standards concerning elution of harmful substances that are set forth in Attached
Table 4 of the enforcement regulation of the Soil Contamination Countermeasures
Law (2002 Ministerial Order No. 29 of the Ministry of the Environment) with respect
to cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, mercury, selenium, among thespecified hazardous substances listed therein. In lieu of the requirements of the
Enforcement Regulation of the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law,
conformance of the Product to the standards concerning hazardous substances set
forth in ISO 8124-3 may be accepted.
5131V1 Criteria A
In the case of using flame retardant, the product shall have no flame retardant of
Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), Polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE) or shortchain chlorinated paraffin (the number of chained C is 10 to 13 and contained chloride
concentration is 50% or over) added as prescribed constituents. In addition, (Pb)-based
chemical compounds, cadmium (Cd)-based chemical compounds, tributyl tin
compound (TBT), triphenyl tin compound (TPT), dibutyl tin compound (DBT),
diphenyl tin compound (DFT), and monophenyl tin compound (MFT) shall not be
added as prescribed constituents.
[Certification Procedure]
To show that the plastic resin (including recycled plastics) and plastic additives
meet the requirement on the harmful materials, a certificate issued by the raw
materials supplier, or a certificate describing the results of tests carried out by anindependent testing institution shall be submitted. In cases where no raw
materials contain any of the corresponding chemical substances as a prescribed
constituent, a document prepared by the raw materials supplier and the applicant
that proves there is no content of the chemical substance shall be acceptable.
(6) For the products to use plastics containing halogen in polymer backbone, at least 70%of the plastic part of the Product after use shall be recovered. Furthermore, at least
70% of such recovered plastic parts shall be directed to material recycling. However,this item is not applicable to the product with 20 years or more of the average lengthof year to use, even if the product uses plastics containing halogen.
[Certification Procedure]
Whether this criteria applies to the Product or not shall be stated in the AttachedCertificate, and, if affirmative, a document ensuring that proper recovery andrecycling will be made at the time of Product disposal, or continuous use of 20
years and more shall be submitted.
Eco Mark Office reserves the right to ask the reports on the recovery ratio (or to
conduct audit) after the conclusion of the license agreement, for which theApplicant assumes the obligation to cooperate.
(7) The percentage of reused/unused wood and waste plant fiber as materials for the
wooden part shall be 100% by mass.
Note: The expression “% by mass” means the proportional mass of the product or eachmaterial in an air dried state*1 or at the point of constant weight*2 at a temperatureof 20±2ºC and humidity of 65±5%.
*1: Indicates leaving in a well-ventilated room for seven days or more.
*2: Change is less than 0.1% when the weight is measured every 24 hours[Certification Procedure].
A document issued by the raw materials supplier certifying that the raw material
is reused /unused wood shall be submitted.
The types of recycled materials, the proportional content of recycled materials andmaterials other than recycled materials and control procedures shall be stated in
the product weight certificate

6131V1 Criteria A
For thinned-out log and less useful wood, a certificate given in Attached table 3
shall be submitted.
(8) As for products in which materials other than reused/unused wood and waste plantfiber are combined, the wooden portion shall be 70% or more by mass of the entire
product, including added materials.
[Certification Procedure]
The applicant shall state the total mass of the product, the respective mass of thewooden parts as well as the materials used other than the wooden parts, stating
the percentage of wooden parts and materials other than wooden parts(proportional mass), to certify that wooden parts are 70% or more of the entire
product, provided that consumables necessary for the functional operation or useof the product, excluding the wooden parts and materials other than wooden parts,
such as varnish and adhesives, shall be excluded from the total product mass.
(9) Paints if used for the products shall conform to the criteria of Eco Mark ProductCategory No. 126, “Paints Version 2” or later version.
[Certification Procedure]
Products shall conform to the certification procedures prescribed in the“Conformance to Certification Criteria” of Eco Mark Product Category No. 126“Paints Version 2.” or later version. If using Eco Mark certified paint, the productname and certification number of the relevant paint can be indicated in the
Application Form for Certification and Use of the Eco Mark in place of a statement
certifying conformity with the application criteria.
(10) The packaging of products shall give consideration to the ease of recycling. Plastic
materials used for packaging shall not use plastics containing halogens in polymer
backbone.
[Certification Procedure]
The packaging condition of the product and packaging materials shall be
specifically described in the Attached Certificates (supplementary pictures,photographs, etc. are acceptable). In addition, for plastic material used for
packaging, use or not of plastics containing halogens in the polymer backbone
shall be stated in the Attached Certificates.
4-2. Quality Criteria and Certification Procedure(11) Quality requirements for products, for which JIS, JAS or other equivalent standards
have been established, shall conform to the relevant standards.
Other products, for which the JIS or the equivalent has established measuringmethods for quality requirement items, shall conform to the relevant similar JIS or
its equivalent.
[Certification Procedure]
A certificate shall be submitted verifying conformity with the relevant quality
standards.

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131V1 Criteria A

5. Product Classification, Labeling, etc.
(1) The products shall be classified according to each applicable product in “2. Applicable
Scope” (Attached table 1) and brand of the product. The product is not classified by sizeor color; provided that products made of different materials shall be applied separately.
(2) Regarding products which correspond to designated procurement items under the "Acton Promotion of Procurement of Eco-friendly Goods and Services by the State andOther Entities (Green Purchasing Law)", conformity status for evaluation criteria will
be announced on the website of the Eco Mark Office.
(3) In principle, Eco Mark shown as below shall be indicated on the product main body.
The licensees of Eco Mark Utilization Contract who own the Eco Mark products shallalso be allowed to use the indication and the certification number as before.

(Note for the indication)*For indicating the logo, Eco Mark certification number (eight-digit number) or the nameof the licensee using the logo shall be appeared.
* Such expression as “Eco Mark product” can be used following the 2.(2) of the Guide to
Eco Mark Usage.
“Eco Mark product”, “#Eco Mark”, “www.ecomark.jp”, “Eco Mark Certificate”*In accordance with “Environmental Labeling Guidelines” of the Ministry of theEnvironment of Japan, etc., the environmental claims of certified products may be
indicated in association with Eco Mark.
(https://www.env.go.jp/policy/hozen/green/ecolabel/guideline/)* The Guide to Eco Mark Usage shall be followed for any cases not listed above.
(https://www.ecomark.jp/office/guideline/guide/)

January 15, 2005
February 23, 2005
May 13, 2005
September 8, 2005
April 28, 2006
October 19, 2006
February 9, 2007
April 13, 2007
October 5, 2007
February 14, 2008

Established
Revised (4-1-3.L(75)､(76))
Revised (4-1-3. (35)､(94), 5-1-3.(73))
Revised (Terminology)
Revised
Revised
Revised
RevisedExtension of Expiration date
Extension of Expiration date8

131V1 Criteria A
June 9, 2008
August 21, 2008
May 1, 2009
November 4, 2009
March 1, 2011
June 15, 2012
February 1, 2013
February 1, 2014
December 1, 2014
March 1, 2018
August 10, 2018
January 7, 2019
April 1, 2022
February 1, 2023
March 15, 2024
January 31, 2031

Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised (5.Indication, Version1.14)
Revised (4-1.(4),deletion of 5.(2)(3) Version1.15)
Revised (Version1.16)
Extension of Expiration date
Revised (Category F, Version1.17)
Revised (4-1.(4), Version1.18)
Revised (Category E-J, addition of 5.(2)(3), Version 1.19)
Extension of Expiration date
Revised (Category E, J: Version 1.20)
Revised (Version1.21)
Extension of Expiration date
Expiration date

The Certification Criteria for the Product Category will be revised when necessary.

9131V1 Criteria A
Attached table 2 -- Omitted -Attached table 3 Criteria and certification for thinned out wood and less useful wood
If using thinned wood as the material, a certificate of origin that includes information on
the place of production, type of tree, and year of planting shall be submitted withphotographs of the forest concerned (showing clearly that the forest stand has been
thinned). The thinning percentage and how many times the forest stand has been thinned,
including the most recent thinning shall also be indicated if possible.
If using less useful wood, the following information shall be submitted. At the same time,
official documents stating that the forest has been certified as sustainable by a third party
shall be submitted.
・ Type of forest (natural or man-made, etc.), place of production, type of tree, and yearof tree planting if man-made forest.
・ Under what conditions was the wood produced (damaged by disease/pests, damaged
by disaster, bent or narrow trees, etc.). For small diameter log, indicate logging method
and tip end diameter.
If small-diameter wood of less useful wood is used, and if it applies to a or b described
below, a document certifying that forests were certified as sustainable by a third party aslisted in the table below shall also be submitted.
a. Small diameter logs from logs felled from natural forests.
b. Small diameter logs from logs produced by clear cutting, patch logging, and strip logging
in plantation forests.
Table Requirements for Forest Certification
Certification criteria- While balancing economical, ecological, and social benefits, thecriteria shall comply with Agenda 21 and Statement of
Principles on Forests, and observe related international
agreements and conventions.
- Including solid requirements, the criteria shall promotesustainable forests.
- Recognized both domestically and internationally, the criteria
shall be recommended as part of the process opened toparticipation by ecological, economical, and social
stakeholders.
Certification system- Certification systems shall have high transparency, maintainnation-wide or international reliability, and can verify
requirements.
Certification body
- With fairness and high reliability, certification organizations
and groups shall be able to verify that requirements are
satisfied, convey the results, and able to execute requirements
effectively.

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131V1 Criteria A
If using bamboo as the raw material in less useful wood, certificates indicating thefollowing information and photographs/maps of the surroundings of the bamboo grove
shall be submitted.
- Type of bamboo, place of production, surrounding conditions, and description thatlogging is carried out for the purpose of appropriate maintenance and management inenvironment preservation, as well as management plans and quantity.

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