Introducing level™ – New Multi-Attribute Certification for Furniture
SCS is again at the forefront of sustainability certification providing the first-ever multi-stakeholder, multi-attribute sustainability certification for office and institutional furniture.
level™ certification, based on the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard, sets furniture manufacturers on a path toward greater sustainability over time. Based on environmental and social criteria set forth in the standard, a product’s entire supply chain is assessed.
Certification assessment includes an evaluation of specific corporate policies and guidelines and an assessment of associated company manufacturing facilities. Products must meet quantifiable milestones of environmental and social performance at every step of development.
The quantitative assessment addresses four categories: material use, energy and atmosphere impacts, human and ecosystem health and social responsibility.
Manufacturers earn points in each of the four categories. The level™ brand and its numeric rating of 1, 2 or 3 indicate what threshold of certification a product has achieved. level™ 3 is the highest rating.
Annual reviews are required to maintain certification.
SCS provided the first certifications based on the BIFMA e3-2008 standard in 2008. Manufacturers whose products were previously certified under SCS Sustainable Choice Furniture are now part of level™.
Benefits to You, the Manufacturer:
- Reinforce your brand image with on-product labeling
- Assure customers your certified products are held to rigorous standards
- Attain bottom-line cost savings with effective environmental strategies
- Depending on the credits earned in the level assessment process, the following points may be available in the LEED program:
For ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Credit 5.5, Rapidly Renewable Materials:
- USGBC LEEDv3, MR credit 6 (Rapidly Renewable Materials)
For ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Credit 5.6, Bio-based Renewable Materials-Sustainable Wood:
- USGBC LEEDv3, MR credit 7 (Certified Wood)
For ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Credit 5.7, Recycled Content:
- USGBC LEEDv3, MR credit 4
For ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Credit 7.6, Low Emitting Furniture:
- USGBC LEEDv3, IEQ4.5 (Low-Emitting Materials—Systems Furniture and Seating)
- Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)
- CA-CHPS 2009, EQ2.2.5 (Low-Emitting Materials, Furniture & Furnishings)
- ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2011 Low-emitting Office Furniture Systems and Seating
- California Section 01350 Specification Standard Method, Version 1.1 (2010)
- California Department of General Service (DGS) Indoor Air Quality Specifications for Open Panel Office Furniture (2006)
About the level™ standard
The ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 business and institutional furniture sustainability standard is an open, consensus-based method to evaluate the social and environmental attributes of furniture products. It addresses all three aspects of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) and includes criteria for evaluating human and ecosystem health, energy, natural resource and corporate social responsibility impacts.
For more information or to comment on the standard, visit levelcertified.org.
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Director of Business Development
Environmental Certification Services
510.452.8009
