April 18, 2014
UL certifies first products by Glen Raven to new standard
Northbrook, IL April 18, 2014 - UL, a global safety science leader, announced today it is an official certifier to NSF/ANSI 336, a sustainability assessment for contract fabrics used in furnishings. The first consensus-based sustainability standard for contract fabrics, the standard has been in development for more than 10 years. UL has awarded its first certification to the standard to Sunbrella Contract Indoor-Outdoor Upholstery Fabrics.
The purpose of the NSF 336 Standard is to address the environmental, economic, and social aspects of commercial furnishings fabric used in commercial spaces. The standard considers criteria from a product's lifecycle to get a complete picture of the inputs, outputs and environmental impacts of textile products across a product's lifespan. The standard is applicable to a variety of contract fabric types used in public spaces, including those used in upholstered furniture; walls, draperies, cubicles, furniture systems; and decorative bedding.
"UL is pleased to be an official certifier to NSF 336, which provides another way for contract fabric manufacturers to demonstrate their efforts and differentiate their products in the sustainable marketplace," said Alberto Uggetti, Vice President and General Manager of UL's furniture industry division. "Now purchasers and specifiers have more options than ever before to specify products for interior spaces with sustainable attributes backed by third-party certification."
As a multi-attribute sustainability standard, NSF 336 considers eight sustainability parameters, including Fiber Sourcing, Safety of Materials, Water Conservation, Water Quality, Energy, Air Quality, Recycling Practices, and Social Accountability. Certified fabrics must meet pre-requisites for each parameter, and can achieve optional credits, earning up to a maximum of 100 points. Of these points, 50 percent address fabric composition and 50 percent address fabric manufacturing. Based on the total number of points achieved within each category, products are awarded certification levels of Compliant, Silver,
Gold or Platinum. Products certified to NSF 336 are certified for 5 years and undergo yearly reviews to ensure continued compliance to the standard.
Glen Raven's certified fabrics are the first products UL has certified to the NSF 336 standard. The products are also GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which verifies that they have low chemical emissions into indoor air.
According the John Gant, Manager of Sustainable Development for Glen Raven, "We chose to pursue NSF 336 certification for these 50 patterns of our Sunbrella Contract Fabrics because Glen Raven has been producing products with sustainability in mind for years." He continued, "By achieving this certification from UL to a multi-attribute sustainability standard, we now have third-party verification of our efforts as desired by our customers and the commercial furniture market."
About UL
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for 120 years. Its more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit https://www.ul.com/.
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