Article Number : 3843 |
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| Date | 11/10/2008 9:57:08 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3843 |
| Abstract | By Matthew Spieler Long before green and figuring out ways to determine a product’s overall eco-friendliness became mainstream, the carpet industry was helping retailers, contractors and end users select products that meet the most stringent criteria for low chemical emissions... |
| Article | By Matthew Spieler Long before green and figuring out ways to determine a product’s overall eco-friendliness became mainstream, the carpet industry was helping retailers, contractors and end users select products that meet the most stringent criteria for low chemical emissions. It was in 1992 when the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) launched its Green Label testing and approval program. Under the voluntary initiative, limits were set for the level of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from carpet, adhesives and cushion that can be released into the indoor air. Since then, the program’s indoor air quality (IAQ) standards have been raised four times by requiring even lower emission levels and increasing the number of compounds studied in the Green Label Plus program. In fact, the Green Label Plus program is so advanced in making sure products that carry the logo do no harm to humans or the environment, California’s Indoor Air Quality Program and Sustainable Building Task Force approved Green Label Plus certification in lieu of the state’s Section 01350, the CHPS low-emitting materials criteria for use in schools. CHPS is the Collaborative for High Performance Schools testing protocols. It is a consortium of public agencies and California utilities that has identified low-emitting materials criteria for use in schools. And thanks to Green Label Plus, specifiers and parents have the confidence in knowing carpets, adhesives and cushion that have been certified under the program meet or exceed the CHPS criteria, which is the benchmark on which all IAQ standards are based. Why? Because Green Label Plus expands on Section 01350 in several respects, including testing annually for the specific chemicals, testing for up to six additional chemicals, maintaining a chain of custody process and performing an annual audit of the testing laboratory. In addition to CHPS, carpet systems that meet or exceed Green Label or Green Label Plus can contribute to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Plus, the Green Guide for Health Care awards one point to healthcare facilities using Green Label Plus carpet. Healthy homes use carpet And, for those who still feel carpet is not an ideal product for people with allergies, asthma or VOC sensitivity, CRI officials note you can assure them to the contrary by pointing out Green Label carpet is also used as a specification standard for the American Lung Association’s Healthy Home program. “Today, indoor air quality is an important environmental consideration, especially since we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors,” said Werner Braun, CRI’s president. With Green Label and Green Label Plus, he added, people “can have full confidence that carpet [bearing the label] is a desirable, attractive green product. They can rest assured they are purchasing the very lowest emitting products on the market.” Even more comforting is the fact the programs are in compliance with both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Guide 65. Due to this, the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) earlier this year named CRI the first certified body for indoor air quality in the soft flooring segment. Currently, the ANSI accreditation is only for carpet, but CRI is moving forward to include adhesives, carpet cushion, vacuums, carpet cleaning products, cleaning equipment and service providers. “We set the standard with the Green Label program,” Braun noted, “and now we are raising the bar with this prestigious ANSI certification that recognizes best practices for indoor IAQ testing and certification.” For more on the Green Label/Green Label Plus programs or to see which manufacturers’ products have been certified, visit CRI’s Web site, www.carpet-rug.org. |