Article Number : 5137 |
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| Date | 12/14/2009 8:50:38 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=5137 |
| Abstract | It’s no secret the flooring industry has a history of being at the forefront of environmental stewardship. But with the passing of the NSF/ANSI 140 carpet standard late in 2007, and the soon-to-be-finalized NSF/ANSI 332 resilient standard, the industry has... |
| Article | It’s no secret the flooring industry has a history of being at the forefront of environmental stewardship. But with the passing of the NSF/ANSI 140 carpet standard late in 2007, and the soon-to-be-finalized NSF/ANSI 332 resilient standard, the industry has national proof showing just how friendly its products are to the environment. NSF 140, otherwise known as the Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard for environmentally preferable building materials, is the first multi-attribute approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the first building-related product category to receive such a distinction. Developed by the National Standards Foundation, plus a long list of public and private entities, the standard is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) principles and offers three levels of achievement for attaining various stages of reduced environmental impact—silver, gold and platinum. NSF 140 is primarily intended for commercial goods by providing a product evaluation methodology that is complementary to emerging commercial green building standards but can be used to evaluate any type of carpet. So what does this mean to retailers, salespeople, designers and their customers? Kirsten Ritchie, director of sustainable design for Gensler, a leader in sustainable design strategies, said NSF 140 provides “enormous benefits to those who specify, approve and purchase carpets. When we specify carpets certified to the standard, we know we are selecting products with a lower environmental impact.” “For the first time we have an industry consensus standard,” said James Lesslie, president of Beaulieu Commercial, which became the first mill to have products certified to the standard. “It will be easier for customers to make comparisons of the environmental products vs. claims of being green. From a sustainability standpoint, NSF 140 is one of the more important initiatives for the floor covering industry in that it can be used to compare products.” Certification is achieved on a point-based evaluation system through five categories. The standard takes into account sustainability issues as they relate to manufacturing processes; reclamation and end-of-life management; energy usage and efficiency; the use of bio-based materials, recycled or environmentally preferable materials, and steps an organization takes to minimize adverse public health, environmental and community impacts. The standard includes an easy-to-use rating system with established performance requirements and quantifiable metrics throughout the supply chain for Public Health and Environment (PHE); Energy and Energy Efficiency (EN); Bio-Based, Recycled Content Materials (MATLS) or Environmentally Preferable Materials; Manufacturing (MFG), and Reclamation and End of Life Management (EOL). Resilient joins fold Joining carpet in showing proof of its reduced environmental impact is resilient flooring, as manufacturers, suppliers, architects, designers, and government procurement now have a national standard for the production of sustainable commercial resilient flooring: NSF 332-2007 (currently a draft standard in its final stages of ANSI approval). This standard addresses environmental performance and sustainability attributes of products and provides a means to track incremental changes to the products’ sustainability profile. Like NSF 140, 332 is intended to provide a framework to compare and assess the sustainable nature of different products within the context of performing similar functions. It is applicable to products manufactured in one facility or multiple facilities, one country or multiple countries. The resilient standard has been designed, in part, to satisfy the following criteria: Demonstrate how resilient floor covering products can conform to the environmental, economic, and social principles of sustainability throughout the supply chain; demonstrate conformance with ISO Type 1 (14024) and Type 2 (14021) environmental labeling and declaration requirements; demonstrate conformance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guides for the use of environmental marketing claims; create confidence in the various stakeholders—manufacturers, suppliers, regulators and consumers; the products labeled with a third-party certification mark consistently meet the requirements of this program, and encourage participation by all manufacturers of resilient floor coverings to improve their environmental performance. Similar to its carpet counterpart, NSF 332 utilizes a point-based system in which resilient manufacturers may achieve one of four increasingly rigorous levels of certification: conformant, silver, gold, and platinum. The standard includes prerequisite requirements as well as performance requirements and quantifiable metrics in five key areas: informed product design, intelligent product manufacturing, long-term value, progressive corporate governance and innovation. Being a national standard, certification to NSF 332 offers buyers the highest level of confidence and credibility about a product in a market awash with green claims, noted Lawlor. Mannington was the first company to be independently certified to NSF Draft Standard 332-2007 Gold Certification for commercial inlaid resilient flooring. The certification recognizes the Mannington brand as an environmentally preferable product (EPP certified) for meeting the rigorous requirements of NSF 332. EPP refers to products that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose. NSF’s evaluation of the Mannington products certified included: intensive assessment of environmental performance in manufacturing, total company policies and practices, and specific product attributes. “We’re proud to be the very first company to achieve this level of certification,” said Dave Kitts, vice president-environment for Mannington. “This certification continues to demonstrate our leadership in environmental improvement and our commitment to develop more quality sustainable products.” Petie Davis, manager for NSF’s sustainability services, said “The overall goal of our certification program is to improve the sustainability profile of floor coverings and, over time, allow the industry to achieve higher levels of sustainable manufacturing,” For more information on either standard, call NSF at 800.673.6275. |