Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program
The Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard guides designers and manufacturers through a continual improvement process that looks at a product through five quality categories—material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product receives an achievement level in each category—Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum—with the lowest achievement level representing the product’s overall mark. The Gold and Platinum levels guarantee that the product is free of substances which may pose a significant risk to humans or the environment. Product assessments are performed by a qualified independent organization. Every two years, manufacturers must demonstrate good faith efforts to improve their products in order to have their products recertified. Products can also qualify for just the Material Health Certificate, which provides manufacturers with a way to communicate their work towards chemically optimized products. The Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program includes a list of chemicals to be avoided.
For more information, visit the Cradle to Cradle website.
GREENGUARD Certification
GREENGUARD Certification is a third-party certification to substantiate that a product has met standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into indoor air. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is closely tied to health, and is therefore recognized as an important concern. VOC emissions from building materials and furnishings are a major source of indoor air pollution. Products qualify for either the basic GREENGUARD Certification or the Gold standard. The latter includes health based criteria for additional chemicals and also requires lower total VOC emissions levels to ensure that products are acceptable for use in environments such as schools and healthcare facilities. GREENGUARD also will verify that a product is formaldehyde free.
For more information, visit the GREENGUARD website.
SCS Global Services
SCS Global Services has been providing third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development for more than 30 years. Programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievement in green building, manufacturing and more. SCS is a Benefit Corporation, reflecting its corporate commitment to creating a material positive impact on society and the environment. Manufacturers pay for SCS Global Services’ evaluation of their products. Its Indoor Advantage certification assesses air quality in relation to emissions to determine what, if any, is the level of volatile organic compounds in the air because of product off-gassing.
For more information, visit the SCS Global Services website.
Living Products Challenge
The Living Product Challenge re-imagines the design and construction of products to function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world. Living Products are informed by biomimicry and biophilia; manufactured by processes powered only by renewable energy and within the water balance of the places they are made. Living Products improve our quality of life and bring joy through their beauty and functionality. Imagine a Living Product whose very existence builds soil; creates habitat; nourishes the human spirit; and provides inspiration for personal, political and economic change. Those products that meet the standard are awarded a Living Product Certification.
For more information, visit the Living Product Challenge website.