2001/405/EC: Commission Decision of 4 May 2001 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to tissue-paper products (notified under document number C(2001) 1175)
Date: 2001-05-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: eco-label, environmental protection, miscellaneous industries, polishing and scouring preparations, prevention of pollution, toiletries

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COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 4 May 2001

establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to tissue-paper
products

(notified under document number C(2001) 1175)

(2001/405/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 of the Euro-
pean Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 (1) on a
revised Community eco-label award scheme, and in particular
Articles 3, 4 and 6 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides
that
the eco-label may be awarded to a product
possessing characteristics which enable it to contribute
significantly to improvements in relation to key environ-
mental aspects.

Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides
specific eco-label criteria shall be established
that
according to product groups.

Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides
that the review of the eco-label criteria as well as of the
assessment and verification requirements related to the
criteria shall take place in due time before the end of the
period of validity of
the criteria specified for each
product group and shall result in a proposal for prolon-
gation, withdrawal or revision.

By Decision 98/94/EC (2), the Commission established
ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-
to tissue-paper products, which, according to
label
Article 3 thereof, as modified by Decision 2000/
413/EC (3), expire 31 December 2001.

(5)

It is appropriate to revise the definition of the product
group and the ecological criteria that were established by

(1) OJ L 237, 21.9.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 19, 24.1.1998, p. 77.
(3) OJ L 155, 28.6.2000, p. 63.

Decision 98/94/EC in order to reflect the developments
in the market.

It is appropriate to adopt a new Commission Decision
establishing the specific ecological criteria for
this
product group, which will be valid for a period of five
years.

It is appropriate that, for a limited period of not more
than 12 months, both the new criteria established by
this Decision and the criteria previously established by
Decision 98/94/EC are valid concurrently in order to
time for companies that have been
allow sufficient
awarded the eco-label for their products prior to the
adoption of this new Decision to adapt these products
to comply with the new criteria.

The measures set out in this Decision have been devel-
oped and adopted under the procedures for the setting
of eco-label criteria as laid down in Article 6 of Regula-
tion (EC) No 1980/2000.

The measures set out in this Decision are in accordance
with the opinion of the committee set up under Article
17 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000,

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The product group ‘tissue-paper products’ (hereinafter referred
to as ‘the product group’) shall mean:

Sheets or rolls of tissue paper fit for use for personal hygiene,
absorption of liquids and/or cleaning of soiled surfaces. The
tissue product normally consists of creped or embossed paper
in one or several plies. The fibre content of the product shall be
at least 90 %. Laminated tissue products and wet wipes are
excluded from the product group.

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Article 2

Article 4

The environmental performance of
the product group as
defined in Article 1 shall be assessed by reference to the
specific ecological criteria set out in the Annex.

For administrative purposes the code number assigned to the
product group shall be ‘004’.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 5

The product group definition and the criteria for the product
group shall be valid for five years from the date on which this
Decision takes effect.

The period of validity of the product group definition and the
criteria established by Decision 98/94/EC, as modified by
Decision 2000/413/EC, shall be extended to expire 12 months
after the date on which this Decision takes effect.

Done at Brussels, 4 May 2001.

For the Commission

Margot WALLSTRÖM

Member of the Commission

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ANNEX

FRAMEWORK

In order to qualify for an eco-label, the product as defined in Article 1 must comply with the criteria of this Annex, with
tests carried out on application as indicated in the criteria and the technical appendix. Where appropriate, other test
methods may be used if their equivalence is accepted by the Competent Body assessing the application (for example if the
equivalence is established by a calibration curve at 95 % significance). Where no tests are mentioned, or are mentioned as
being for use in verification or monitoring, Competent Bodies should rely as appropriate on declarations and documenta-
tion provided by the applicant and/or independent verifications.

The Competent Bodies are recommended to take into account the implementation of recognised environmental manage-
ment schemes, such as EMAS or ISO 14001, when assessing applications and monitoring compliance with the criteria in
this Annex (Note:

it is not required to implement such management schemes.)

These criteria aim in particular at promoting:

— the reduction of discharges of toxic or otherwise polluting substances into waters,

— the reduction of environmental damage or risks related to the conversion and use of energy (global warming,
acidification, depletion of non-renewable resources) by reducing energy consumption and related air emissions,

— the commitment to the need to apply good management principles in order to safeguard forests,

— the reduction of risks for human health, environmental damage or risks related to the use of hazardous chemicals,

— the minimisation and efficient use of waste.

The criteria are set at levels that promote the labelling of tissue paper produced with a low environmental impact.

ECOLOGICAL CRITERIA

1. EMISSIONS TO WATER AND AIR

(i) The performance concerning the parameters COD, AOX, CO2

,

fossil

and SO
2

points,

in relation to a reference value (referred to as a ‘coefficient’ for each parameter).

shall be expressed in terms of load

The total emissions to water and air relating to the paper product shall be calculated as the sum of the emissions
from the pulp and the tissue paper production stages.

Table 1

Coefficients and hurdles for the emission parameters

1. Organics to water, COD

2. Chlorinated organics, AOX

3. Carbon dioxide, CO2, fossil

Coefficients, (C),
kg/ADT (1) tissue

Hurdles, (H),
kg/ADT (1) tissue

C1 = 15

C2 = 0,2

H1 = 40

H2 = 0,5

C3 = 1 500

H3 = 3 750

4. Sulphur oxides, as S

C4 = 1,0

H4 = 2,5

(1) ADT = air dried tonne.

(ii) The load points, L, are calculated as shown in equation 1. The actual emission for each parameter should be

divided by the corresponding coefficient for this parameter.

Li = (emission of parameter i)/Ci (equation 1)

(iii) The ‘total load point sum’, P, is calculated from equation 2 by adding the load points for each parameter.

P = L1 + L2 + L3 + L4 (equation 2)

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(iv) If any of the emissions of the parameters COD, AOX, CO2,

fossil and SO2 for a product exceeds the values

described as ‘hurdles’

in table 1, the product shall not qualify for the eco-label.

(v) To obtain the eco-label, the total

load point sum (P) for the product must not exceed four points.

The amount of AOX (as Cl) discharged from each pulp manufacturing site shall not exceed 0,50 kg per air dry tonne
of pulp.

Where trimmings are incorporated in the final product, the emissions related to their production, whether on-site or
off-site, shall be included in the calculation of the load points.

Data on the use of water per tonne of pulp and paper produced in the production process of pulp and tissue paper
shall be reported (Note: the data is necessary to evaluate the calculations of effluent flows and concentrations).

Sulphur compounds: The emissions related to the production of electricity need not be accounted for.

Carbon dioxide: from fossil sources per tonne of paper produced,
electricity (whether on-site or off-site).

including emissions from the production of

2. ENERGY USE

The total consumption of electricity relating to the tissue-paper product shall be calculated as the sum of the
electricity used in the pulp and the tissue paper production stages and shall not exceed:

— 11 G joule (3 000 kWh) electricity per tonne of paper produced.

The applicant shall calculate all inputs of electricity used during the production of pulp and tissue paper, including
the electricity used in the de-inking of waste papers for the production of recycled paper.

Electricity means net imported electricity coming from the grid and internally generated electricity measured as
electric power. Electricity used for waste-water treatment and air cleaning need not be included.

3. FIBRES — SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Fibres may be wood fibres, recycled fibres (1) or non-wood fibres.

In the case of virgin wood fibres from forests, the operators in charge of managing the sources from which the fibres
originate shall implement principles and measures aimed at ensuring sustainable forest management. A declaration,
charter, code of conduct, certificate or statement to this effect from these operators and/or from the pulp mills shall
be presented.

In Europe, the principles and measures referred to above shall correspond to those of the Pan-European Operational
Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management, as endorsed by the Lisbon Ministerial Conference on the
Protection of Forests in Europe (2 to 4 June 1998). Outside Europe they shall correspond to the UNCED Forest
Principles (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) and, where applicable, to the criteria or guidelines for sustainable forest
management as adopted under the respective international and regional initiatives (ITTO, Montreal Process, Tarapoto
Process, UNEP/FAO Dry-Zone Africa Initiative).

4. HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES

Bleaching: Chlorine gas shall not be used as a bleaching agent. This requirement does not apply to chlorine gas
related to the production and use of chlorine dioxide. (Note: while this requirement also applies to the bleaching of
recycled fibres, it is accepted that the fibres in their previous lifecycle may have been bleached with chlorine gas.)

De-inking: Alkylphenolethoxylates (APEOs) or other derivates from alkylphenol shall not be added in de-inking
chemicals. Derivates from alkylphenol are defined as substances that are degraded to alkylphenols.

Wet strength aids: Wet strength aids must not contain more than 1,0 chloro-organic substances, related to the dry
content, that are assigned or may be assigned any of the risk phrases R45 (may cause cancer), R46 (may cause
heritable genetic damage), R5O/53 (very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment), R60 (may impair fertility) or R61 (may cause harm to the unborn child) as defined in the
Council Directive 67/548/EEC (2), as last amended by Commission Directive 2000/33/EC (3). Examples of such
chloro-organic substances are epichlorohydrin (ECH). 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) and 3monochloro-1,2-propane-
diol (MCPD).

(1) Recycled fibres are defined as fibres collected from paper products after consumption or paper waste from the conversion stages
according to the grades defined in European list of standard grades of recovered paper and board, (CEPI, February 1999). Broke from
paper mills is not defined as recycled fibres.

(2) OJ L 196, 16.8.1967, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 136, 8.6.2000, p. 90.

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5. WASTE MANAGEMENT

All producers of pulp, paper and converted tissue products shall have a system for the handling of waste (1) and
residual products arising from the production plants. The system shall be documented or explained in the application
and shall

include at least the following points:

— procedures for separating and using recyclable materials from the waste stream,
— procedures for recovering materials for other uses, such as incineration for raising process steam, or agricultural

use,

— procedures for the handling of hazardous waste (1).

6. PRODUCT SAFETY

Products made from recycled fibres or mixtures of recycled and virgin fibres shall fulfil requirements on hygiene as
follows:

The tissue paper shall not contain more than:

Formaldehyde:

Glyoxal:

PCB:

1 mg/dm2 according to test method EPA 8315A

1,5 mg/dm2 according to test method EPA 8315A

2 mg/kg according to test method EPA 8270

All tissue products shall fulfil the following requirements:

Slimicides and antimicrobic substances:

No growth retardance of micro-organisms according to test method EN
1104

Dyes and optical brighteners:

No bleeding according to test method EN 646/648 (level 4 is required)

Dyes and inks:

Dyes and inks used in the production of tissue paper shall not contain
azo-substances that may cleave to any of the amines listed in the
technical appendix, table 3

The product shall be fit for use.

FITNESS FOR USE

CONSUMER INFORMATION

Box 2 of the eco-label shall

include the following text:

— low water pollution
— low air pollution
— low greenhouse gas emissions and electricity use.

In addition, next to the eco-label the manufacturer may also provide a statement indicating the minimum percentage of
recycled fibres.

Technical appendix: definitions, testing requirements and documentation

All emission parameters

The period for the measurements or mass balances shall be based on the production during 12 months. In case of a new
or a rebuilt production plant, the measurements shall be based on at least 45 subsequent days of stable running of the
plant. The measurement shall be representative for the respective campaign.

If a product is made out of different pulp qualities, the emission values from the pulp production shall be calculated as
weighted averages of all pulps used. The total emissions shall be calculated by adding the emissions from the pulp
production to the emissions from the production of the tissue paper.

Accredited laboratories or independent test institutes following the standard EN 45001 shall carry out measurements.

The laboratory of the pulp or paper manufacturer may, however, be approved for the analyses of discharges if any of the
following conditions are fulfilled:

— the relevant regulatory authorities accept the relevant sampling and measurements made in that laboratory, or
— the manufacturer has a quality system which includes sampling and analysis supervision and is certified according to

ISO 9001 or ISO 9002, or

— is an official GLP (good laboratory practice) approved laboratory.

(1) As defined by the relevant regulatory authorities of the pulp and paper production sites in question.

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Measurements of water emissions shall be taken on unfiltered and unsettled samples either after treatment at the mill or
on discharge to public sewers before treatment in a public treatment plant. In the latter case the value measured before
the public treatment plant shall be reduced by a factor corresponding to the average reduction by the treatment plant. The
levels measured in incoming water to the mill may be subtracted from the emissions generated in the process and leaving
the mill.

COD shall be measured in accordance with ISO 6060 second edition 1989.

AOX shall be measured in accordance with ISO 9562.

Other test methods can be accepted if their equivalence is accepted by the Competent Body assessing the application (for
example if the equivalence is established by a calibration curve at 95 % significance).

AOX shall be measured in processes where chlorine compounds are used for the bleaching of the pulp. This means that
AOX need not be measured:

— in the effluent from non-integrated paper production, or
— in the effluents from pulp production without bleaching, or
— when the bleaching is performed with chlorine-free substances.

Sulphur oxides

The applicant shall provide a balance on the air emissions of sulphur compounds. This balance shall include all such
emissions, which occur during the production of pulp, and paper, except those related to the production of electricity.
Measurements shall include recovery boilers, lime kilns, steam boilers and furnaces for incineration of strong smelling
gases,

if available. Diffuse emissions shall be accounted for.

Carbon dioxide

The applicant shall provide a balance on the air emissions of carbon dioxide. This balance shall include all sources of
non-renewable fuels during the production of pulp and paper, including the emissions from the production of grid
electricity. The emission factors from table 2 shall be used in the calculation of the CO2, fossil emissions from fuels.

Table 2

Equivalents of CO
2,

fossil

from non renewable fuels

Fuel

CO2, fossil emission

Coal

Crude oil

Fuel oil 1

Fuel oil 2-5

Gasoline

Natural gas

Grid electricity (1)

(1) European average.

95

73

74

77

69

56

400

Unit

g CO2, fossil/MJ

g CO

2, fossil

/MJ

g CO2, fossil/MJ

g CO

2, fossil

/MJ

g CO

2, fossil

/MJ

g CO

2, fossil

/MJ

g CO

2, fossil

/MJ

For grid electricity, the value quoted in the table shall be used for all sites within the European Union. For sites outside the
European Union, the applicant may present documentation establishing the average value for their supplier(s) of
electricity, and use this average value instead of the value quoted in the table.

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Forest management See criterion 3.

Hazardous chemical compounds

The applicant shall present a declaration from each pulp supplier that chlorine gas has not been used for the bleaching of
the pulps.

The applicant shall present a declaration from each pulp supplier that alkylphenol ethoxylates or other derivates from
alkylphenol have not been used for the de-inking process.

The applicant shall present a list of the products used in the paper production for the purpose of wet strength in the final
product. The list shall include the brand name of the product, the area of use and the name, address and telephone
number of the supplier. In addition to this list, the applicant shall present a declaration of the content of chloro-organic
substances, such as epichlorohydrin (ECH), 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) and 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol (MCPD),
which are classified as dangerous to the environment or to health according to Council Directive 67/548/EEC.

Waste management See criterion 5

Product safety

The tissue-paper producer shall provide a document of the test results of finished tissue paper concerning: formaldehyde,
glyoxal, PCB, slimicides, antimicrobial substances, dyes and optical brighteners.

Table 3

Amines referred to in criterion 6

Amine

4-aminoazobenzene

o-anisidine

4-aminodiphenyl

benzidine

4-chloro-o-toluidine

2-naphthylamine

o-amino-azotoluene

2-amino-4-nitrotoluene

p-chloroaniline

2,4-diaminoanisol

4,4(cid:1)-diaminodiphenylmethane

3,3(cid:1)-dichlorobenzidine

3,3(cid:1)-dimethoxybenzidine

3,3(cid:1)-dimethylbenzidine

3,3(cid:1)-dimethyl-4,4(cid:1)-diaminodiphenylmethane

p-cresidine

4,4(cid:1)-methylene-bis-(2-chloraniline)

CAS-No

60-09-3

90-04-0

92-67-1

92-87-5

95-69-2

91-59-8

97-56-3

99-55-8

106-47-8

615-05-4

101-77-9

91-94-1

119-90-4

119-93-7

838-88-0

120-71-8

101-14-4

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Amine

4,4(cid:1)-oxydianiline

4,4(cid:1)-thiodianiline

o-toluidine

2,4-diaminotoluene

2,4,5-trimethylaniline

2,4-xylidine

4,6-xylidine

Fitness for use

CAS-No

101-80-4

139-65-1

95-53-4

95-80-7

137-17-7

95-68-1

87-62-7

The applicant shall provide evidence to demonstrate that the product is fit for use. This evidence may include data from
appropriate ISO or CEN test methods, but may include national or in-house test procedures as well. Details of the test
procedures shall be provided with the application.