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Webinars on VOC regulations and labels
Following the success of our webinars on French VOC regulation, there will be webinars on several VOC related issues in late spring 2012, in three languages.
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Eurofins Product Testing - LEED® for Textile Flooring Systems

Please also click below for more general information LEED membership logo gray

LEED for textile floorings

LEED®, 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 4.3

There are VOC emission requirements for textile floor coverings in the LEED® 2009 specifications for

There are these ways of showing compliance:

Option 1: All carpet and all carpet cushion must meet the testing and product requirements of the Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label Plus program.

This can be shown either by CRI Green Label Plus certification, or by emission chamber testing in an independent laboratory, such as Eurofins Product Testing A/S - without CRI certification, and without the expensive testing laboratory used by CRI.

US Green Building Council clearly states that certification by CRI is not necessary, it is just one option. CRI certification must not be required by LEED reviewers as the only option.

Option 2: All flooring products must meet the testing and product requirements of the California Department of Public Health Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers, including 2004 Addenda - also called Section 01350 specification. This is shown by emission chamber testing in an independent laboratory, such as Eurofins Product Testing A/S - without CRI certification, and without using the expensive testing laboratory used by CRI.

Earlier LEED versions (before 2009) had the same requirement, but only for carpets and not for other types of flooring.

Additionally, all carpet adhesive must have less than 50 g/L VOC, determined as specified in LEED® credit EQ 4.1, adhesives and sealants (SCAQMD rule #1168).

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

US GBC: Carpets do not need CRI certification for LEED compliance

The EQ Technical Advisory Group (TAG) dicussed some misunderstanding occuring in the field. In its call minutes of January 11, 2011, it was stated under item 4.a.:

The TAG discussed a question regarding the documentation section of EQc4.3: Low-Emitting Materials- Flooring Systems as it pertains to carpets. Project teams have sometimes interpreted this credit to read that carpets must have Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label Plus (GLP) certification to capture the credit. The TAG confirmed that all carpet installed in the building interior must meet the testing and product requirements of the program, however, this does not preclude products that meet these requirements but are tested by a means other than GLP.

LEED 2012 now open for public comment

LEED 2012 with important changes and additions now is open for 2nd public comment between August 01 and September 14, 2011. 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 of paints and coatings 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. VOC content tests may also be needed for European "Decopaint" Directive, but different testing protocols are required in Europe.

Further contacts regarding LEED:

There is a European database with products showing compliance with LEED or DGNB criteria. This database is not comprehensive but 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 CRI Green Label Plus. This is good enough for LEED, even though CRI will not accept test reports of Eurofins, they only accept one single testing laboratory. But LEED does not require CRI Green Label Plus certification, testing by an independent and qualified laboratory is good enough.

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

Eurofins Product Testing A/S also is one of the approved testing laboratories the reports of which are accepted for PRODIS/GUT labeling.

A comparison between limit values of AgBB, GUT, Blue Angel and CDPH Section 01350 was made available by GUT both in English and in German. It clearly shows that requirements of CRI are much weaker than European requirements.

Your direct contacts:

Direct contact to Eurofins Product Testing A/S, the world market leader for VOC emissions chamber testing:

Eurofins Product Testing A/S
Smedeskovvej 38
8464 Galten
Denmark

Phone: +45 7022 4276

US office:

2200 Rittenhouse St., Suite 150
Des Moines, IA  50321
Phone +1-515-362-5937

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.