GreenSage E-zine 08/2008

A New Sustainable Flooring Standard

Ann Arbor-based NSF International has created a new certification standard to identify sustainable flooring. This will help U.S. consumers navigate the maze of green claims for flooring, allowing us to evaluate claims of environmental friendliness from materials providers. NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization, committed to making the world a safer place for consumers since 1944, evaluating and certifying such products as bottled water, food equipment, home water treatment products, home appliances, plumbing and faucets, and even pool and spa components.

The standard is still in draft form, but Petie Davis, manager for NSF's sustainability services, said it represents a significant step in guiding buyers who seek "green" flooring.

About the standard

The NSF standard on sustainable, resiliant flooring includes five categories:
• Product design
• Intelligent product manufacturing
• Long-term value
• Corporate governance
• Innovation

"It's hard to know what's a credible green claim," Davis said. "If you look for certification from a third party, it gives a lot of confidence that you're buying what the label says you're buying."

Eventually, Davis said, the hope is that the NSF standard will help companies earn points in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, known as LEED.

Thomas Phillips, vice president at Hobbs+Black Architects in Ann Arbor, said having another set of standards for flooring would help the industry. "It's always a good idea to have another check," he said.

But he expressed some concern over social responsibility requirements that he sees creeping into sustainability standards.

The NSF asks each applicant for certification to document that its major suppliers meet "social accountability" goals such as complying with local, regional and national labor rules.

Companies are also asked to document that workers are allowed to collectively bargain and that no workplace discrimination is taking place. Davis said the questions are basic, and that a valid sustainability standard cannot ignore the human element. "Social equity is a part of sustainability," she said. "This is not about documenting business as usual."

Consumers, Phillips said, need to understand all of what has been considered in the standards. "Certainly programs can start to broaden and look at issues like social responsibility, which runs the risk of excluding products for reasons not necessarily connected to the original intent," Phillips said.

He cited the Forest Stewardship Council's standards on sustainable wood products and projects as an example of unintended consequences in green certification efforts. He said because of social responsibility criteria, the program has led to a near-monopoly situation, higher costs and fewer projects seeking the certification.

Phillips also said if LEED and the NSF standard are used in conjunction with each other, it could provide more guidance than simply noting whether a product uses post-consumer recycled material, for example.

Peter Allen, an Ann Arbor developer and University of Michigan professor, said he planned to include environmentally friendly bamboo flooring in his Kingsley Lane project near downtown Ann Arbor. The project has stalled because of the poor housing market, but Allen said green building materials were a big selling point with potential customers.

He said the NSF certification is a move in the right direction. "I think that will have a value," he said.

The first company certified under the NSF standard is Mannington Mills Inc. of Salem, N.J. It was also the first to apply, Davis said.

Davis said the process of gathering the evidence needed for certification can be lengthy. Once that happens, though, the NSF can approve an application within two to three months. "Preparation for certification takes longer than actual certification," Davis said. She said the standards are meant to be "comprehensive."

"The intent is really to improve the standards over time and move the industry as a whole toward more sustainable practices," she said.

NSF, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1944 as the National Sanitation Foundation, began with a focus on food equipment and continues to create safety standards for food, water and consumer goods. NSF is currently drafting sustainability standards for carpeting, textiles, furniture and roofing membranes.