Emeryville, CA - Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a leader in independent, third-party certification and standards development for corporations' environmental and sustainability claims, announces the publication of its new standard for indoor air quality performance, SCS-EC 10.2-2007 Indoor Air Quality Performance.
This new Air Quality Performance standard significantly updates, and expands upon, SCS's first indoor air quality standard, which it released in 2004 to reflect the State of California's Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Section 01350 criteria for indoor air quality. In doing so, it greatly broadens the scope of products that it can certify.
Most important, SCS-EC 10.2-2007 Indoor Air Quality Performance for the first time provides criteria for the certification of office furniture to two key standards of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA M-7.1-2006 "Standard Test Method for Determining VOC Emissions from Office Furniture Systems, Components, and Seating," and BIFMA X-7.1-2006 "Standard for Formaldehyde and TVOC Emissions of Low-Emitting Office Furniture Systems and Seating"). This allows furniture manufacturers participating in SCS's Indoor Advantage™ and Indoor Advantage™ Gold certification programs to earn credits under the LEED® Green Building Rating System™ for EQ (Environmental Quality) 4.5 Low Emitting Materials, Systems Furniture and Seating. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and is considered by many to be the benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
In addition, In order to maintain its synchronicity with the emissions standards of select other key organizations, such as the State of the California—an important aspect of the SCS air quality certification program—the new SCS Air Quality Performance standard incorporates the changes and additions that have been made to those other air quality standards over the past few years.
The new SCS air quality performance standard now identifies three categories of certification:
- Indoor Advantage™ - Certification for office furniture and seating that meets the indoor air emission criteria of BIFMA M-7.1 and X-7.1, and therefore the criteria for LEED-EQ 4.5.
- Indoor Advantage™ Gold - Building materials and classroom and office furniture and seating that meet the indoor air emission criteria of CHPS 01350, the California Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Specifications For Open Panel Office Furniture, and LEED EQ 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 and 4.5.
- FloorScore, which SCS operates for the Resilient Floor Covering Institute—a certification system for non-carpet flooring that meets the indoor air emission criteria of CHPS 01350 and LEED IEQ 4.3.
About Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
SCS is an independent third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims. For more than two decades, SCS has developed internationally- recognized standards and certification programs aimed at spurring the highest level of environmental improvements, social accountability and product performance. Its programs span a wide cross-section of the economy, recognizing accomplishments in the fields of forestry, green building, agricultural production, food processing and handling, fisheries, energy, consumer and business product manufacturing and retail. SCS was the first company to offer manufacturers a program for verifying the accuracy of environmental claims on products.
Certification programs for building products include Recycled content, Biodegradability, Indoor Advantage™, Indoor Advantage™ Gold, Environmentally Preferable Product, and SCS Sustainable Choice™. For more information about SCS, visit www.scscertified.com or call (510) 452-8000.
