Languages: en fr de 

LEED 2012 - 4th public comment now open
LEED 2012 fourth round of public comments is open now. Revised version is expected for May 2012. Membership ballot is planned for June. You can see relevant links at www.eurofins.com/leed-2012.
Read more


VOC testing
Laboratory contact information


More information on VOC About VOC

VOC regulations

Low VOC labels

VOC in LEED

VOC testing

LEED® for System Furniture and Seating

LEED membership logo grayLEED®, the US originated rating system for sustainable buildings, is requested by more and more building planners in the USA and in Europe and at the Gulf.

Copies of that rating system can be found in the Gulf region, in Italy, in Australia, and in some Asian regions. Slightly different approaches are in use in Europe, see also here.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non profit organization that developed and administers the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

Please see our presentation on LEED® - a new challenge for low VOC emission materials, as presentation slides and as paper, held at CERTECH conference on Odours and Emissions from Materials in October 2009.

LEED and products

Products cannot be LEED certified. Only buildings can.

Use of low emitting materials is helping to achieve points for improving indoor air quality. Motivation of product manufacturers to show that their product can support collecting LEED® points ("LEED® compliance") is that they can sell their products to those who want to achieve LEED® certification of their building. But USGBC does not foresee any type of "LEED® compliance" attestation of a product. An overview of these requirements for purchasers and commissioners is available for download in English, in German and soon also in French.

Indoor Environmental Quality specifications by LEED®, EQ credit 4.5

There are VOC emission requirements for system furniture and seating in the LEED® 2009 specifications for

Limit values to be respected in a model office room:

System furniture (furniture made of several elements, e.g. in offices, class rooms, hotels)
  • TVOC - 0.5 mg/m³
  • Formaldehyde - 50 ppb
  • Total aldehydes - 100 ppb
  • 4-Phenylcyclohexene - 0.0065 mg/m³
Seating:
  • Half the values of system furniture

There are three ways of showing compliance.

Option 1: Testing and calculation of test results into a typical model office shows indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to those listed above for furniture systems and seating, based on ANSI/BIFMA M7.1-2007and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 testing protocol, and tested in an independent third party air quality testing laboratory - such as Eurofins Product Testing A/S.

This can be shown either by just testing in a qualified laboratory, or by certification by an independent third party. Eurofins Product Testing A/S is an approved testing laboratory for testing within that process.

Option 2: Furniture and seating are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.

Option 3: Same as option 1, but testing follows a 1999 EPA Large Chamber Test Protocol, tested in an independent air quality testing laboratory. Option 3 seems not to be used any more in reality.

The option with best costs / benefit ratio clearly is option 1.

Other points may be achieved for recyclable and for recycled content.

LEED 2012 open for public comment

LEED 2012 with important changes and additions is open for 3rd public comment in March, 2012. You can see details on major proposed changes and commenting procedure on our special page and in our blogs.

Using synergies

If a manufacturer needs VOC testing for markets on both sides of the Atlantic, then Eurofins can help saving money by combining all required testing into one test setup. This service is unique in whole world. No single other testing laboratory is approved for VOC emission chamber testing by so many organizations both for US purposes and for European labels such as Blue Angel, EMICODE and M1, combining this with a world-wide valid ISO 17025 accreditation.

Further Information

Please see our flyer on LEED® issues in English or in French, or contact our specialists for using Eurofins expertise that may help to show compliance of your products with LEED low emitting interiors credit.

More information on this website is touching LEED in general and for several product groups, low VOC ecolabels and regulations, and VOC testing as such. You may also look for LEED related seminars and webinars.

Further information regarding LEED:

There is a European database with products showing compliance with LEED or DGNB criteria. This database is not comprehensive but it can show you a selection of relevant products.

Eurofins services

Eurofins Product Testing A/S can perform ISO 17025 accredited testing in accordance with California CDPH Section 01350 or with ANSI/BIFMA M7.1-2007and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 testing protocol.

Eurofins Product Testing A/S is listed as one of the laboratories for CA Section 01350 testing on CDPH homepage.

Contact to VOC Testing Laboratories

Please see here contact information of Eurofins VOC testing laboratories in Europe, USA and China:
www.eurofins.com/voc-contacts.

Order forms and testing request forms are available for free download here.

 

Note: "U.S. Green Building Council", "USGBC", "LEED" and related logos are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and used by permission.