In a workshop held in Asharqia Chamber
The
Saudi Committee of Standards and Quality determined the next mid April as the start date for the application of the technical regulations for plastic biodegradable
products importers and all national factories, which include 16 products
including mailings, bags, postal parcels and bags that are used in bread
packaging, nuts and sweets .
The
general director of the Saudi Committee of Standards and Quality in eastern region Tames Al Hammadi in an awareness workshop organized by the Committee titled "Technical Regulations
for plastics degradable products" in cooperation with Asharqia Chamber on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, that the technical
regulations help facilitate market survey measures by identifying measures conformity
assessment, which must abide by suppliers to ensure matching these products,
indicating that the regulation aims to define the powers and responsibilities
of the authorities, which forces ensuring the safety of these products.
He
said that the Committee is keen to improve an appropriate period of time before
entering the Technical Regulations stage of compulsory implementation, so as to
give them an opportunity, and in front of the concerned authorities regulation
requirements in a comprehensive manner, stressing the need for effective
application of the regulation and requirements and their requirements, pointing
that plastic products are of high risk because they are connected to the health
and consumer safety, adding, that the Committee
intends to apply an integrated approach to conformity assessment procedures
within a comprehensive safety program and products s to activate the control
procedures on all products offered to the consumer.
He
pointed to the absence of technical obstacles in the process of introduction of
auxiliary materials on biodegradable plastic products, stressing, starting with
the introduction of these materials factories currently in production.
He
thinks that determining one year as a
period for a license to use the logo on
the plastic products at the beginning of the application, to prevent fraud and
logo and to allow the Committee to improve a
logo through the access of the electronic numers, pointing to the possibility of increasing
the license expiration after the market
control.
The quality adviser in the Committee and the executive director of the plastic
products and recycling cans in the Higher Committee for the Development of Riyadh region Ghada Al Kulaib, said that the plastic waste is considered a
long term impact on the environment, where it takes hundreds of years to deform,
pointing to the difficulty of collecting and recycling worsens the problem,
pointing to the high Saudi per person consumption of plastic products comparing to the average per person consumption, the result is easy
availability and low cost.
And
about the process of adding the material of decomposition, she said it is not expensive,
indicating that the rate of chemical assistance for degradable plastics does
not exceed 1% - 2% per ton, noting that the process of adding material does not
require a change in the production lines, stressing, that the decomposition takes a
period of not less than
six months, while the product exposed to heat other environmental conditions are
not affected, as they remain intact in stores.
He
noted that the Committee has set certain
descriptions for material that help to degradable plastic products, stressing the allowance of the import of such products when passing the required tests including the
"toxicity" both in the local or foreign approved laboratories.
The Manager of the general administration
to verify conformance of Saudi Standards and Quality Eng. Abdulaziz
Ibrahim Al Hunaihin, said that the regulation aims to identify the specific
environmental requirements of biodegradable plastic products, covered in the
scope of this regulation, to preserve the environment and consumer health,
animal, and facilitate market survey procedures stressing
that fulfilling the requirements of this
regulation does not makeup for the
requirements of the technical regulations related to the safety of the product to
preserve the environment and consumer health and safety.
He
added that the Regulations prohibit the manufacture, importing, develop and offer
products that are not complying with the provisions of these regulations, or
even announced, pointing that the product does not meet the requirements of regulation
as enough reason to the authorities of the market survey and regulators to
judge that this product is not in conformity, which maight be a threat to the
health and consumer safety and the environment, and in a number of cases,
including: failure to verify or correct logo, also the unavailability or lack of
technical documentation is complete, and the lack of explanatory or
instructions for using, and he said that
the costs of the registration of the logo
and the study of the order in the regulations
are clearly specified .
