Furniture Gets Multiple-Attribute Sustainability Certification

The Sustainable Choice certification and label for furniture is based on the new BIFMA Sustainability Standard, written through a consensus process by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA). That trade group itself will not perform certifications, leaving it up to groups like SCS to decide how well products meet the standard.

Systems furniture, case goods, tables, and seating from Allsteel, Gunlocke, HON, Kimball Office, and National Office Furniture have been certified. The BIFMA standard considers materials, energy use, health issues, and social responsibility, assigning products to three certification tiers: Silver, achieved by four of the companies; Gold, achieved by National Office Furniture for a case good; and the highest level, Platinum, which no products have yet achieved. A directory of certified products is at www.scscertified.com.