Green Standard Registers First Environmental Product Declaration

Environmental product declarations (EPDs), widely used in Japan and the European Union, have been likened to nutrition labels, putting product information about life-cycle impacts, health concerns, and recycled content in a standardized, accessible format. They have yet to gain much traction in North America, but The Green Standard, a nonprofit organization formed to administer EPDs in compliance with ISO 14025, which governs the documents, has announced that it has registered its first EPD, for InterfaceFLOR’s Convert carpet products. (As of this writing, InterfaceFLOR’s EPD was not available for review.)

As an EPD system, The Green Standard does not certify that products meet any environmental standard. It does certify that a third party has prepared a detailed report, in compliance with ISO 14025, that includes information on the materials, energy, and water involved in manufacturing and transport of the product and its components, as well as the product’s potential contribution to global warming, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, and smog formation. Because of the level of detail and the lack of any overall stamp of approval, EPDs are used mainly in business-to-business contexts. (For more on EPDs and their place in the ever-growing world of certifications and product labels, see EBN Jan. 2008.)

To help users navigate complex EPDs, The Green Standard has developed the Gaia Product Profile, a Web-based, visually engaging presentation of selected EPD information. The Gaia Product Profile lists any green certifications, gives a quick sense of a product’s environmental impact, and is linked to more detailed data. This ease of use may help The Green Standard gain users, but a large enough database to permit comparisons within product categories is needed for the tool to really take off—something of a Catch-22. Knoll and Shaw have begun the process of preparing EPDs for various products to be included in the system, according to The Green Standard, but participation by many more companies is required to make it truly useful.

– Michael Wilmeth

For more information:

The Green Standard
www.thegreenstandard.org

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Behind the Logos: Understanding Green Product Certifications EBN: Feature - January 2008

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IMAGE CREDITS:
1. Illustration: The Green Standard

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