Furniture products are a potential source of pollution into the air indoors. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety has identified numerous substances that could be emitted by some furniture products, some of which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic. In particular, formaldehyde is emitted by wood-based panels.

This draft order is issued pursuant to the draft decree on the labelling of furniture products regarding emissions of volatile pollutants. These products shall only be placed on the market if they bear a label giving details of the level of formaldehyde emissions into the air indoors, on a scale from A+ (very low emissions) to C (high emissions). The draft order gives details of the different methods for evaluating formaldehyde emission levels from these furniture products, the thresholds for classes A+, A, B and C, and how the label is presented. It also gives details of the information to be provided to consumers on the precautions to be taken relating to emissions of volatile pollutants from the furniture.