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MANNINGTON.COM › PRODUCTS › ON THE ENVIRONMENT › OUR PRODUCTS › INDOOR AIR QUALITY |
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We would like it if our flooring took your breath away – but only figuratively. That’s why we work hard to ensure that our products meet rigorous IAQ standards. Standards for carpet were initially established in 1993, and Mannington was one of the first mills to certify products. Today, we hold IAQ certification for all of our carpet products, many of our hard-surface products and all our commercial adhesives.
Different products are certified by different programs or organizations; below are details about each of these programs.
GL+ (Green Label Plus)
With the advent of the California CHPS (Collaborate for High Performance Schools) standards, CRI (The Carpet and Rug Institute) revised their Green Label IAQ standard to match the low-emitting materials criteria used for CHPS and added adhesives to the program.
This new standard, GL+, is the fourth time in 12 years that the CRI has enhanced its carpet testing standard, a measurement by which manufacturers continue to reduce product emissions.
GL+ is an independent testing program that meets and even exceeds the CHPS indoor environmental quality standards for low-emitting products used in commercial settings such as schools and office buildings. GL+ will be accepted in lieu of Section 01350, the CHPS low-emitting materials criteria for use in schools.
The more rigorous GL+ standard is a requirement for California projects, and for the Environmental Quality Credit 4.3 in the USGBC's LEED building standard. Mannington is pursuing GL+ for our entire product line. All of our running-line carpet products and most of our custom products meet GL+.
GL vs. GL+
Both programs assure customers that carpet products meet stringent requirements for low chemical emissions. GL+ was designed for architects, facility administrators and others who need greater assurance of good IAQ.
Every carpet that receives GL+ certification has been tested for 14 days for emission levels for all of the chemicals detailed by Section 01350, plus six additional chemicals. Subsequent annual tests will target 13 chemicals, and quarterly tests will measure TVOC (total volatile organic compounds). The emissions standards are based on stringent criteria outlined in Section 01350. GL+ expands on Section 01350 in several respects, including annual testing for the specific chemicals, a chain of custody process, and an annual audit of the testing laboratory.
Architects, interior designers, government specifiers and facility administrators who prefer green building products can be assured by the green and white GL+ logo on carpet samples, signifying that the product has been tested and certified by an independent laboratory to meet stringent criteria for low emissions.
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FloorScore FloorScore was developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) to certify and identify hard-surface flooring products that meet the CHPS 01350 IAQ standard. |
RFCI established the FloorScore program to provide third-party certification for products, and to provide a quick way to identify products that meet these standards. Seventy-eight VOCs are measured for maximum emission concentrations based on one-half of the concentrations allowable under Chronic Reference Exposure Levels for listed VOCs established by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Product testing is verified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). They examine all VOC emissions test reports by independent testing laboratories for compliance with CHPS 01350 and conduct periodic manufacturing plant inspections to review product formulas, processing and quality control. For more information about SCS standards, visit http://www.scscertified.com/iaq/index.html.
In an October 2006 credit interpretation ruling, the (USGBC) approved FloorScore program certified hard surface flooring products as an alternative compliance path to LEED credit EQ4.3 Low-Emitting Materials: Carpet Systems. To achieve the LEED credit, a minimum of 25% of the finished floor area (both carpet and non-carpet areas) of a building must be comprised of non-carpet floor products, and all of these non-carpet floor products must be FloorScore certified. This alternative credit is available in LEED rating systems NC, CI, C&S and EB. For more information on LEED, visit www.usgbc.org.
To view a list of Mannington products that have been certified under the FloorScore program, click here. For more information on FloorScore, visit www.rfci.com.
LEED
The US Green Building Council's LEED building standards include credits for indoor air quality. The LEED program uses the standards established by CRI and SCAQMD. A list of the credits and related standards for flooring is as follows:
LEED-NC 2.2 (New Construction) Indoor Environment Quality Credits
- Credit 4.1: Low-Emitting Materials - Adhesives and Sealants
Uses the limits established by SCAQMD Rule #1168 except for aerosol adhesives which use the Green Seal standard GS-36. - Credit 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials - Carpet
Uses the limits established by CRI's Green Label Plus program
LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Indoor Environment Quality Credits
- Credit 4.1: Low-Emitting Materials - Adhesives and Sealants
Uses the limits established by SCAQMD Rule #1168 except for aerosol adhesives which use the Green Seal standard GS-36 - Credit 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials - Carpet
Uses the limits established by CRI's Green Label Plus program
For more information on LEED, visit www.usgbc.org.
CHPS 01350 IAQ Standard (Collaborative for High Performance Schools)
CHPS section 01350, commonly called “Chips Thirteen-Fifty,” focuses on natural daylight, improved lighting systems, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and superior IAQ.
All flooring materials that meet this standard are listed on the CHPS website at www.chps.net. These materials include Mannington heterogeneous sheet, ICORE, laminate, inlaid homogeneous sheet, and VCT.
In addition, Mannington commercial adhesives meet SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District) Rule #1168, the guideline referenced in LEED. For carpet standards, CHPS follows the CRI GL+ certification.
