Certain products and volatile organic compounds
For the Volatile Organic Compound Concentration Limits for Certain Products Regulations, the term "certain products" refers to the following product types used in households and by institutional and commercial consumers:
- personal care
- automotive and household maintenance products
- adhesives, adhesive removers, sealants and caulks
- other miscellaneous products
The regulations
The Volatile Organic Compound Concentration Limits for Certain Products Regulations, made under the authority of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Vol. 156, No. 1 – January 5, 2022. The regulations apply to manufacturers and importers and establish concentration limits for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in approximately 130 product categories and subcategories.
VOCs constitute one of the main ingredients in the formation of ground-level ozone, which contributes to the formation of smog. The objective of the regulations is to protect the environment and health of Canadians from the effects of air pollution by reducing VOC emissions.
The proposed Volatile Organic Compound Concentration Limits for Certain Products Regulations were published on July 6, 2019 in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 153 for a 75-day public comment period. Comments received on this publication were considered in development of the final regulations.
Key elements of the regulations
The regulations establish maximum VOC concentrations and emission potentials (regulatory limits) for the manufacture and import of over 130 categories and subcategories of products. The regulations prohibit the manufacture and import of products with VOCs in excess of their respective category-specific regulatory limits, unless a permit is obtained.
The types of products covered include personal care products; automotive and household maintenance products; adhesives, adhesive removers, sealants and caulks; and other miscellaneous products.
The regulations include 3 alternative compliance options to provide flexibility in complying with the regulations. These include:
- Permit - Technical or Economic Non-Feasibility
- Permit - Product Whose Use Results in Lower VOC Emissions
- VOC Compliance Unit Trading System that allows companies to balance emissions from products that exceed the regulatory limits with compliance units earned from products that were reformulated to have a VOC concentration lower than the regulatory limits. The program also allows companies to trade compliance units with other companies.
Information and guidance
- Regulatory Fact Sheet - This factsheet provides an overview of the key aspects of the regulations and further guidance on the manufacturing and processing exemption.
- Laboratory test method - Environment and Climate Change Canada developed a Guidance Document: Analytical Methods for Determining VOC Concentrations and VOC Emission Potential for the Volatile Organic Compound Concentration Limits for Certain Products Regulations. This methodology will be used by enforcement personnel to determine compliance with the regulatory provisions.
Implementation of the regulations
The regulations came into force on January 1, 2023, to allow for the application for permits and the building of compliance units one year in advance of the coming into effect of the regulatory limits.
The regulatory limits for the manufacture and import of products listed in the schedules to the regulations came into effect on January 1, 2024, for all product categories, except disinfectants, which came into effect on January 1, 2025. As such, where a product is not captured by the disinfectants category under item 31 of Schedule 1, the applicable regulatory limit came into effect on January 1, 2024. Where a product falls under the category of item 31, regardless of whether the product also belongs to any other product categories, the applicable regulatory limit came into effect on January 1, 2025.
Where a product belongs to more than one product category, the applicable maximum VOC concentration is the lowest of the maximum VOC concentrations for the product categories to which the product belongs, other than specific exceptions listed in the regulations.
The regulations and Canadian businesses
The regulations apply to any person who manufactures or imports products in Canada that contain VOCs and belong to one of the regulated product categories or subcategories.
The regulations do not require regulatees to submit reports or conduct product testing to comply with the regulations. However, the onus is on regulatees to ensure that the products they import or manufacture meet the regulatory limits. The determination of VOC concentration for the purposes of these regulations must be performed by an accredited laboratory.
Manufacturers and importers of a regulated product are required to indicate, on the product container, the date on which the product was manufactured or a code representing that date.
Manufacturers and importers of a regulated product are also required to keep records regarding regulated products in Canada for a period of at least 5 years.
Related links
Volatile organic compounds in products overview
About environmental and wildlife enforcement
Response to comments received on the 2013 consultation document
Consultation document: revisions to the proposed volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration limits for certain products regulations (January 2013) (available in PDF format - 215 KB)
Contact us
Chemical Production Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
351 St. Joseph Blvd
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3
Email: Produits-Products@ec.gc.ca
Toll-free: 1-800-668-6767
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