The Greenguard Environmental Institute, a division of UL Environment, announced a new certification called Greenguard Select, which it describes as "a rigorous, environment-specific indoor air quality certification that addresses new market requirements while offering increased transparency for both manufacturers and purchasers."
"Greenguard Select takes the Greenguard Certification Program to the next level of precision and clarity," said Marilyn Black, Ph.D., founder of the Greenguard Environmental Institute. "It builds upon one of our most widely recognized and referenced standards — Greenguard Children & Schools — by adding new criteria for formaldehyde emissions, lead and phthalate content, and commercial furniture testing protocols, and volatile organic compound content levels. And, perhaps most important, it provides environment-specific certification marks, adding clarity for specifiers and purchasers."
Manufacturers whose products achieve Greenguard Select Certification will have the opportunity to test and certify to a residential, commercial, healthcare, or educational environment — depending on the products' application. The residential environment model used for the certification is based on the informative Appendix B of the 2010 version of the CA 01350 test method, and it enables the use of scientifically justified and realistic product loadings.
"This is a key advancement in providing a fully developed residential model for the certification of products intended for home use," Black said.
Manufacturers whose products meet the testing and emissions requirements of all four environments may market their products with a Greenguard Select Certified mark bearing the names of all four environments. Manufacturers whose products meet the testing and emissions requirements of one, two, or three environments may use one or all three of the applicable environment-specific certification marks.
To date, five manufacturers have achieved Greenguard Select Certification for their products:
- Crane Composites – Education, Healthcare
- Dwyer – Commercial, Education, Healthcare, Residential
- Maxxon – Commercial, Education, Healthcare, Residential
- Naturepedic – Healthcare, Residential
- Phifer – Commercial, Education, Healthcare, Residential
"We applaud manufacturers who voluntarily pursue and achieve Greenguard Select Certification for their products," Black said. "Such an achievement lets the marketplace know that these manufacturers are committed to transparency, scientific rigor, and the protection of human health."
Read more about home certification and accreditation and indoor air quality.
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