However, it’s important to note that CARB Phase 2 does not test the finished products, only the raw composite wood products. Manufacturers of finished goods that contain composite wood products are only subject to recordkeeping and labeling requirements. This makes many product manufacturers and retailers reliant upon their suppliers to provide compliant materials to them, requiring a great deal of due diligence and oversight.
On the national level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., is currently working to implement national formaldehyde emissions standards for a range of composite wood products. The proposed regulations also contain testing and third-party certification requirements for hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard, as well as recordkeeping and labeling requirements.
Third-party Certifications
What else can manufacturers do to address the gap and ensure that they are reliably sending low-emitting flooring product to be installed in homes and commercial spaces around the country? Seeking third-party emissions testing and certification of the finished product, using test methods that simulate actual product usage, is a smart way to gain the peace of mind that manufacturers need.
There are many additional benefits to certifying emissions from the final products, including creating additional market demand. Green-building rating systems, such as LEED v4, offer credit opportunities for products that are certified to be low-emitting (such as UL GREENGUARD Gold Certified), which means that professional purchasers are specifically looking for those certifications when they make product selections. A 2014 McGraw Hill SmartMarket Construction report states that 54 percent of architects, designers and specifiers look for the GREENGUARD mark to make purchase decisions for their projects.
A second benefit derives from the differentiation that a third-party certification label brings to a brand. First, the certification brings an extra layer of trust that a product’s claim is reliable and backs the manufacturer’s reputation with that of the certifying body. Secondly, the certification makes the purchase decision easy; the buyer doesn’t have to research and decide if a product is truly low-emitting because the “GREENGUARD Certified” mark on the packaging or POS display reassures him or her that it is.
The data bear this out: UL’s Under the Lens: Claiming Green report shows 58 percent of the consumers surveyed said they would pay up to 10 percent more for a product with a third-party green certification. In the home-improvement category, willingness to pay 10 percent more was most influenced by claims about air quality/VOCs/chemical exposure (72 percent said they would pay more for a product with a certification related to those health-impacting factors). The top claims supporting a purchase decision and a 10 percent price premium included reduced chemical emissions certifications, like UL GREENGUARD Certification, RFCI FloorScore and CRI Green Label Plus certification.
For the manufacturer and the retailer, obtaining third-party product emissions certification helps turn a challenging environment into a winning proposition all the way down the line. The fear of product emissions, which is creating hesitancy among purchasers, is effectively addressed; the manufacturer’s and retailer’s brands and reputations are protected as is the professional reputation of the architect, designer and builder; and the occupants of the space end up with a flooring product that not only looks and performs well, but helps contribute to a healthier indoor environment.
Online Buzz:
Check out the UL Sustainable Product Guide.
Resources
• Information about CARB Phase 2 can be found at the website of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board.
• Read information about the EPA’s work on developing formaldehyde emissions standards for composite wood products.
• Learn more about UL’s GREENGUARD Certification program.
• The UL Sustainable Product Guide is a free resource that offers data about thousands of certified and validated products, including flooring. To make product selection easier for professional purchasers, listings include details about applicable green-building system credits and downloadable documentation.
• UL Environment’s Under the Lens: Claiming Green report has data from more than 1,000 consumers surveyed about the impacts of green labels and certification on brand perception and purchase intent.
IMAGES: UL Environment