1. The Dutch Furniture Industry and AWARE Nelleke Versloot Centrale Bond van Meubelfabrikanten (CBM) / Dutch Furniture Industry Gent, 04-10-07

2. The Dutch Furniture Industry The CBM has 570 furniture companies as a member. We represent about 2500 furniture companies. Consists of a workforce of 22000 people. Consists of contract builders, domestic furniture and suppliers of semi-finished products. Products like office furniture, school furniture, beds, mattrasses and coffins.

3. Branche agreement on working conditions In 2005 the Dutch government, the Dutch unions and the CBM made agreements to: –Reduce physical stress. –Lower the absence through illness. –Lower the use of solvents.

4. Solvents Solvents are used in glue and coatings. 1990’s: international reduction goals for solvents. Research for waterbased coatings on oak. End of 1990’s: bann or reduction of solvents. The furniture industry gets an exception because the alternatives don’t always meet the high standards, especially of the higher end of the market. 2005: branche agreement to reduce solvents: VOS- scans.

5. VOS-scans SHR visits 200 furniture companies and gives an advise for reducing solvents. All given advise is registered in a database. Research is done involving the quality of solvent based and waterbased glues and coatings. Quality is very important in the furniture industry!

6. Other risks than solvents Some of the alternatives for solvent based glue and coatings had other risks than the ones that solvents cause: –Glue based on SBS/SBR: can cause cancer. –Acid reactive coatings: irritating, toxic. –Coatings based on 2K polyurethane: irritating and harmfull. –Coatings based on UV: irritating and can cause allergies.

7. AWARE We chose the AWARE-code because: –It takes all kinds of risks into account. –It takes all kinds of application into account. Difficulty: –At that time the AWARE-code was being developed and the conclusions kept changing.

8. The results The results in graphics:

9. Conclusions It is important to take all health risks into account. There is not one product group that gives better results: there is much variation within the product groups. Spraying always gives a much higher AWARE-code I: spraying gives more health risks.

10. The AWARE-project We need an instrument that helps employers to choose a coating or glue taking all the health risks into account. The AWARE-code is understandable even for people without a chemical background. The AWARE-code has the potential to become a European system: fair competion! The involvement of the coatings industry!

11. Questions?