Do voluntary Quality Marks have a future next to CEmarking?

CE marking and Quality Marks Construction products as per the Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC and EU-regulation 302/2011 - CPD The aim is to the removal of technical barriers to the free circulation of goods by harmonizing around 2000 European standards and hundreds of European Technical Approvals. These technical documents contains the essential requirements (ER’s) are established, which are related mechanical strength, fire, health, safety, protection of the environment and the sustainability. Almost all plastics piping systems are specified by voluntary product standards , EN’s, providing all material and performance requirements and accompanying test methods. Further each voluntary EN contains a specific part for guidance for the assessment of conformity as a technical specification. These EN’s are all accepted in every EU member state and in some cases the voluntary EN’s have also a global acceptance.Today we have candidate harmonized standards based on these voluntary standards as an “umbrella” covering the main application fields for plastics piping systems as soil & waste, underground drainage, pressure and hot & cold. Under this umbrella various plastic materials are covered designed for a specific application. Since the harmonized standards are still in a development stage plastic piping systems cannot bear the CEmarking. For the time being it is unclear when the harmonized standards for plastics piping systems can be finalized. CE-marking and quality marks can coexist. The CE- marking on a pipe or a fitting is based on the declaration of conformity released by the manufacturer of the pipe and/or fitting based on the harmonized standard. The voluntary quality mark is released by a certification body based on the voluntary product standard by 3rd part certification..