Furniture products are a potential source of indoor air pollution. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has identified numerous substances, some of which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, that could be emitted by some furniture. The French Environmental Code requires furniture to be labelled with information concerning their emissions of volatile pollutants, as with building and decoration products (Article L221-10 of the French Environmental Code).

The present draft decree establishes the mandatory labelling of furniture products regarding their emissions of volatile pollutants. The present draft decree specifies that mandatory labelling shall apply to furniture products containing wood-based panels, whether or not intended exclusively for indoor use. This obligation shall not apply to second-hand furniture. Furthermore, labelling shall only be mandatory for production runs of 10 or more identical items of furniture. These products can only be placed on the market if they bear a label giving details of the product’s emissions of volatile pollutants. The draft decree also establishes the requirement to provide consumers with information on the precautions to be taken relating to emissions of volatile pollutants from the furniture. The provisions of the draft decree shall enter into force on 1 January 2020. However, for products that have been placed on the market before 1 January 2020 and are still on the market, these provisions shall apply as of 1 January 2021.