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- Do not arrange walls: from 15 to 45% of building materials in the Russian Federation may be counterfeit
Do not arrange walls: from 15 to 45% of building materials in the Russian Federation may be counterfeit
A huge proportion of building materials in Russia may be counterfeit. In particular, 15% of radiators, 22% of cement and 45% of cable on the market are fake. The Federation Council Committee on Regulations recommended that the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Industry and Trade strengthen control over such products, as it threatens the safety of residential buildings and public buildings. One of the measures is the adoption of the EAEU technical regulations "On the safety of building materials and products." The State Duma and the Public Council under Rospotrebnadzor share concerns about the situation, which also propose to take measures to whitewash the market.
Why is there a lot of counterfeiting on the market?
The volume of adulterated building materials and products in Russia varies from 15% (radiators) to 45% (cable products), depending on the type of product. A high proportion of illegal immigrants — at least 22% — is also recorded in the sale of cement. Such conclusions are contained in the recommendations of the Federation Council Committee on Regulations and Parliamentary Activities addressed to the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Industry and Trade following a round table held with the participation of the construction business and relevant departments.
In the document that Izvestia has, it is reported that the key problem in the field of providing consumers with high-quality building materials has become the shortcomings of the certification and quality control system, which directly affects the safety and durability of the facilities under construction.
"Many manufacturers do not go through the necessary conformity assessment procedures, which leads to materials that do not meet mandatory requirements entering the market. This is due both to the lack of an adequate level of competence among manufacturers and to the lack of effective control by government agencies," the document emphasizes.
In this regard, the problem of falsification of construction products is becoming more acute — hidden changes in properties and characteristics, as well as misleading consumers.
"The use of falsified building materials directly affects the safety of construction, especially multi-storey and social infrastructure facilities. This can lead to serious consequences, including a deterioration in the quality of construction, an increased risk of failures and accidents, as well as increased consumer costs for repairs and maintenance," the senators note, proposing measures to whitewash the market, as well as improve product quality and safety.
Among other things, we are talking about increasing control over the production and sale of products in the Russian Federation, speeding up the adoption of the EAEU technical regulations on the Safety of Building Materials and Products, improving legislation on technical regulation and standardization, as well as the inadmissibility of manufacturers using their own standards instead of national ones.
— The falsification of building materials entails large-scale negative consequences for consumers, the state and honest business. Consumers and developers are being misled and overpaying for low-quality products, resulting in poor-quality repairs or an entire building. Bona fide manufacturers cannot compete with counterfeiters and are losing market share, cutting staff and reducing budget contributions," Oleg Zemtsov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on regulations and participant in a meeting with the construction business, explained to Izvestia.
According to him, among the most serious consequences of using such materials are the collapse of structures, the breakthrough of water supply networks, the occurrence of fires and smoke.
— For example, the use of falsified cable products will inevitably lead to damage to electrical equipment and the occurrence of various emergencies. If in the first case the damage can be measured in material terms, in the second case there may be irreparable consequences for the life and health of citizens," the parliamentarian explained.
The press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade informed Izvestia that the issues raised by the senators would be considered in due course. At the same time, they noted that the topic of countering illicit trafficking in building materials has repeatedly been the subject of discussion by the relevant State Commission.
"In accordance with the government decree, from September 1, 2024 to September 1, 2026, an experiment is being conducted to monitor compliance with mandatory requirements for certain types of building materials in consumer packaging, certain types of cable and wire products and heating devices," the press service of the department said.
They also indicated that the decision of the State Commission determined the basic values of the share of counterfeiting (based on the results of 2023). It is 22.1% in cement, 40% in mixtures and solutions, 18% in heating devices, and 21% in cables.
In addition, they recalled that from March 15, 2024 to August 31, 2025, a voluntary experiment is being conducted on labeling certain types of building materials. According to the ministry, after it becomes mandatory, Rosstandart will be able to fully use the information from the labeling system to organize control and supervisory activities based on a risk-based approach.
The press service of the Ministry of Construction told Izvestia that the Federation Council's recommendations had been received and would be considered in due course. They, in turn, drew attention to the fact that new materials, products, structures and technologies imported from abroad, the requirements for which have not been established, can be used in construction in Russia only after confirmation of their suitability.
In addition, the order of the Ministry of Construction approved a set of rules that establish the need to check the quality of materials, products, structures and equipment supplied for construction as part of control measures.
At the same time, the ministry recalled that since 2022, representatives of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have created a working group and have done a lot of joint work on the preparation of the EAEU technical regulations on the Safety of Building Materials and Products.
— The majority of federal executive authorities, as well as the largest manufacturers of building materials in the territory of the EAEU, support its adoption. This will reduce technical barriers to trade and ensure the free movement of high—quality and safe construction materials and products across the territories of five countries," the ministry said, noting that the document will apply to 469 types of such products.
The document is currently undergoing internal approval in the EAEU countries, the Ministry of Construction added.
Measures to reduce counterfeiting
The press service of the Soyuzcement industrial association confirmed the existence of a high proportion of counterfeit products on the market.
— This is a real threat to the life and health of citizens, and the presence of any share of it in circulation is unacceptable. The use of low—quality cement creates risks of structural collapse, cracking, increased radiation and chemical background, the association told Izvestia.
They also noted that manufacturers of such goods take a small proportion of real cement, mix ashes, slags or other additives in proportions not specified by GOST standards. The result is a mixture that does not gain strength and does not have other necessary characteristics, the organization said.
To change the situation, it is necessary to restore state control and supervision on an ongoing basis, which is still being carried out as an experiment, the industry said.
— As a rule, falsified materials are encountered by people who are engaged in individual construction and purchase them, for example, at markets. Industrial construction involves tender purchases, where technical requirements are specified in the characteristics of the necessary materials," Vladimir Komlev, managing partner of the Bildservice construction company, said in a conversation with Izvestia.
He drew attention to the fact that consumer demand in recent years was focused on the purchase of building materials from foreign suppliers. However, the sanctions circumstances have adjusted the market to focus on domestic production. At the same time, according to him, there are proven players on it.
The presence of low-quality materials on the market greatly affects the quality of construction and repairs, and this has become a problem, Svetlana Razvorotneva, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing, explained to Izvestia.
— One of the reasons is that the state had previously effectively relinquished control in this area. Now, however, she is already trying to gradually bring him back. On September 1, 2024, an experiment was launched in Russia to control the production and circulation of cement, building mixes, and radiators," the parliamentarian explained.
According to her, the second reason is that Russia does not have national quality standards for these goods, and the technical regulations "On the safety of building materials and products" at the EAEU level have not yet been adopted. As the parliamentarian noted, the document is not supported by some member states of the union, which at the same time are the main suppliers of this counterfeit to our country.
— Counterfeiting in construction can be dangerous for the lives of Russians who buy housing from such materials. For example, if we are talking about substandard electrical wiring, this significantly increases the risks of fire danger — there is no guarantee that it will not flare up, and in this case a person will be left without property," Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor, told Izvestia.
According to him, the same thing happens with cement: there are cases when new houses crack due to the use of substandard material. In some cases, the shortcomings may not appear immediately, but they in any case affect the service life, significantly reducing it and increasing the risks of harm to property and consumer health, the social activist emphasized. Therefore, it is important that the state strengthen control in this area, he believes.
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