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California

San Francisco Ban of Flame Retardants

Posted on by EA Accounts

San Francisco’s ordinance to ban flame retardants was unanimously approved on October 17th, 2017. It was sponsored by Supervisor, Mark Farrell of District 2 on the City and County San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

 

The ban goes into effect as of January, 1st 2019. Certain companies have been given an additional six months to comply. All other companies are expected to sell any and all “juvenile product or upholstered furniture” with less than “1,000 ppm of any flame retardant chemical”. The ban does not include children’s mattresses unless they meet 16 CFR Part 1632 or 1633.

Details are not currently available of how or if this will affect the California’s flammability label.

Need help with a flammability label? Contact Us.

California Prop 65 Compliance Memo

Posted on by EA Accounts

Chemical Warning Requirements

Prop 65 Memo Available from the Law Offices of Joanne E. Mattiace

You may have heard that there are changes coming down the pike in regards to California Prop 65.  Some of you have indicated great concern about  these changes.  To assist you with  offering consumer products in California, we have prepared a short compliance document which can help you with your approach to such product offerings.  Please let us know if you would like to order a copy of that memo.

Stay Compliant

Contact The Law Offices of Joanne Mattiace for Your Copy Today

Prop 65 Memo for Clients of Legal Label and Joanne Mattiace Prop 65 Memo for Non-Clients

Clients of Joanne’s law firm also get a 30 minute follow up with Joanne.

Contact Legal Label for all your law label and state licensing needs today.

EPA Formaldehyde Law Label Change

Posted on by EA Accounts

California Formaldehyde Law Label Example

US TSCA Title VI Compliant Law Label for EPA Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products. 

formaldehyde law label

Law offices of Joanne E. Mattiace

If your company offers any consumer product for sale which contains any type of manufactured wood, you are likely familiar with the need to comply with California’s wood and formaldehyde labeling and emissions standard. 

Be aware that a new federal rule, both labeling and emissions, kicks in later this year. The new federal rule is similar, though not identical, to the California requirement. There has been a great deal of confusion over this federal rule but it is now slated to be effective in December of 2017. Companies may now begin to use the labels necessary to appear on products.

Now is the time to consult with your suppliers and secure documentation as to the emissions levels associated with the use of such manufactured wood in consumer products. Therefore, go ahead and begin to implement the new federal labeling requirements, and learn the new record keeping obligations imposed upon your company. Also, consult with legal counsel and/or the team at Legal Label sooner than later. Don’t put your product offerings at risk with a possible violation.

Contact the Law Offices of Joanne E. Mattiace.

 

IMPORTANT CA Fee Increase 12/1/2016

Posted on by Jen Bragdon

The regulatory proposal amending section 1107 of the California Code of Regulations was approved and the proposed fee increases will go into effect on December 1, 2016. Included in these fee changes, the CA Manufacturer and Importer licenses have gone up to $750.00. Visit the bureau’s WEBSITE for more information and the full list of fee increases.

IABFLO Conference 2016, Re-cap

Posted on by Jen Bragdon

This year’s IABFLO conference, held at the Wyndham Philadelphia in historic downtown from April 19-22, was a great success. A shout out to President Michelle Jack of Utah, Richard Selegue of Ohio, and Kay Harris of North Carolina for all their hard work in organizing this conference.

We were happy to see that Pennsylvania has rejoined IABFLO and that the City of Detroit sent their bedding program administrator, Lisa Clark Jones.

This year Ikea was kind enough to give us a tour of their DC unit in New Jersey; an impressive example of warehouse management and technology on a massive scale.
This was followed by a fabulous industry dinner, courtesy of DuPont and Print Craft at Pietro’s Italian Restaurant and was greatly appreciated by all.

We spoke with a number of conference attendees, including Speakers Kathy Manderino, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Joe Mohorivic of ISPA, Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia of Intertek, Dr Heather Stapleton of Duke University, Joanne Mattiace of the Law Offices of Joanne Mattiace, Wilf Lieber of IDFL, Ryan Trainer of ISPA and Christina Slaybaugh of Pennsylvania. Copies of their presentations will soon be available on the IABFLO website for members.

During the round-table we heard from some State Regulators of upcoming changes. These included the following:

California: expect to see the license fees go up, possibly as soon as October of this year. The proposed fees will be as follows:

Bureau’s current and proposed fee for each license type.

Section 1107(a) Subsections and License Type    Current Fee    Proposed Fee
Importer’s License $650 $750
Furniture and Bedding Manufacturer’s License $650 $750
Wholesale Furniture and Bedding Dealer’s License $540 $625
Supply Dealer’s License $540 $625
Custom Upholsterer’s License $360 $420
Sanitizer’s License $360 $420
Retail Furniture Dealer’s License $120 $140
Retail Bedding Dealer’s License $120 $140
Retail Furniture and Bedding Dealer’s License $240 $280

 

Additionally in 2017 they will develop a rule making packet to update the law label and the terminology in their classification of filling materials. Prior to the formal rule making proceeding, California officials have indicated a willingness to receive and consider written comments regarding possible future action.

If you wish to receive updates on this matter and other Bureau activities please subscribe to their LISTSERV.

Lastly California mentioned that now that TB117-113 SB1019 has been instituted for a period of time you can expect to see more inspections looking specifically for compliance with this flammability regulation.

Connecticut: is now inspecting secondhand dealers and they are starting to issue major financial fines against dealers for not sanitizing properly. They also warned that if these corrections are not addressed then the company who does not comply stands to lose their Secondhand Dealers License and will be unable to operate their store without one.

Detroit MI: The bedding program coordinator, Lisa Clark Jones joined IABFLO this year. Detroit is planning on ramping up their program so you can expect to see change including more enforcement in the year to come.

North Carolina: Kay Harris spoke about the licensing backlog, dealing with employee absence, and how they have been working on getting these licenses out.

Ohio: Richard Selegue and Derrick Hubner informed us that Ohio has bought new pieces of equipment, including a new Thermo Scientific Nicolet FT-IR and also a new compound microscope. This will be a significant assistance in being more efficient and hopefully move samples through more effectively.

Pennsylvania. Spoke of how AP has rejoined IABFLO and how they will review their regulation in the coming months in terms of requirements for variances.

Utah: UT State legislature has approved a Sterilization Permit requirement for clothing and bedding. Currently this is in the documentation process for rules/guidelines and may be effective in 2017.

 The 2017 IABFLO conference is scheduled in Newport, Rhode Island from April 26-27.

 

California Mattress Recycling

Posted on by Jen Bragdon

California’s mattress recycling program, Bye Bye Mattress, launched December 30th, 2015. The program, required by a 2013 law, provides mattress and  box spring recycling free of charge in CA. This program also provides designated collection sites and recycling facilities, where CA residents can drop off used mattresses for free. The funding for this program is provided by an $11 recycling fee that is collected by mattress sellers on each new mattress and/or box spring that is sold in the state, and then remitted to the MRC each month.

All mattress manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and others selling mattresses in CA must register with the Mattress Recycling Council, or under  law, you will not be allowed to sell mattresses in CA. To register for free, simply click here.