Plywood maker claims eco-friendly tag

The influence of western standards has had a telling effect on the quality of products manufactured and sold in India.

This is the case in the plywood industry, especially so among those who export plywood. The very high health and environmental standards that have to be met to export has seen the manufacturers trying to reach those standards in India.

Plywood comes in two types "" phenol-bonded plywood and urea-bonded. The resin made to bond the think layers of wood has formaldehyde as an ingredient. But, this is not environment and affects human health. Prolonged contact of the skin with plywood with high emissions of formaldehyde can cause the skin ailment eczema.

It is the emission of the resin over time that dictates the quality of the plywood. Europe has set standards for grading the plywood and this is dictated by the emission of the formaldehyde, whose chemical formula is HCHO.

While India is yet to have any set standards for the plywood, exporters prefer to follow the European standards. The plywood is graded by the emission of the formaldehyde and European grading as E0, E1, E2, E3. E0 standards mean the emission of formaldehyde should be less than .5 mg per hour per cubic metre (PHPCM). In E2, the emissions should not be more than 3.5 PHPCM and in the case of E3 norms it should not be over 3 per cent.

Come June 5, the World Environment Day, Archidply will launch a new brand of plywood "" Pure Ply "" to mark the day. The plywood the company claims is the most environment-friendly sold in India. Pure Ply will meet the E0 and E1 standards, says the company.

Says the chairman of the company D Daga, "The wood used is of trees that have a short rotation period and that which can be replanted every three years to five years."

In the Mysore plant, the firm claims that it uses the wood procured from coffee plantations in the vicinity. In the case of its Uttaranchal plant, it uses poplar trees that grow fast and which are cut in three years to five years when they are replanted. The poplar trees on an average give 34 cubic metres of wood.

The firm that started in 1976 saw revenues of between Rs 50-60 crore in 2004-05, Rs 75 crore in 2005-06 and is targetting Rs 150 crore in 2006-07. The expected doubling in revenue is due to their factory in Uttaranchal.