22 June 2009

CELQ association has disbanded. Quality seal still applies until the end of the year

At the start of 2004 CELQ Certified European Laminate Quality was set up by leading companies from the European laminate flooring industry. The association, which is responsible for issuing the CELQ quality seal, decided to disband at the EPLF meeting of members in German Arnsberg, Westphalia. The CELQ seal will however remain valid until the end of 2009. EPLF will take on responsibility for and management of key activities.
The association has decided to disband in response to market trends which no longer make the future of the CELQ quality seal worthwhile. While the high quality of the labelled products remains undisputed, the CELQ seal has not managed to achieve acceptance amongst end consumers alongside the more well-known EPLF logo. The problem was exacerbated by the introduction of the CE symbol for laminate flooring at the start of 2006 which overlapped with important parts of the CELQ seal. The CE seal is synonymous with European product safety and is binding for all products manufactured in Europe. End consumers are also increasingly being overwhelmed with quality and environmental seals which has led to a loss of credibility in them.
Despite the disbandment of CELQ, the EPLF and its member companies will continue to work towards promoting quality and transparency on the laminate flooring market. The latest fruit of their labours is the development of EPDs Environmental Product Declarations for EPLF member companies which will be published shortly on the website of the German Institute of Construction and Environment. Architects and planners use EPDs as evidence of the environmental performance of building products and they are therefore an important B2B instrument for sustainable building. The owners and tenants of sustainably built houses and apartments will appreciate these.