BIFMA Premieres Green Standard Level Program for Products

NSF International and Scientific Certification Systems are the first third-party certification bodies to be recognized under Level.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 6/8/2009

In an attempt to alleviate what can be an arduous evaluation process, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association is introducing Level, a LEED-like third-party certification program for the contract furniture market.

BIFMA is billing their furniture sustainability standard as the first fully transparent, multi-attribute furniture sustainability standard addressing material utilization, energy and atmosphere impacts, human ecosystem health, and social responsibility.

Under the program, manufacturers' products will be evaluated by third-party certifiers, NSF International and Scientific Certification Systems are the first bodies to be recognized for Level by BIFMA, in order to meet the commercial furniture industry trade association's e3 sustainability standard.

The standard is modeled after LEED with three conformance levels—Level One, Two, and Three, with Three being the highest—specific prerequisites, and optional credits.

A variety of BIFMA member firms have already certified products through NSF and SCS for the Level program, including contract furniture heavyweights Allsteel, Gunlocke, HON Company, Herman Miller, Kimball Office, National Office Furniture, and Steelcase.

"For the past three years we have been following the ANSI process, working with stakeholders and experts from inside and outside the industry to create a standard that can be used by all furniture producers, says BIFMA executive director, Tom Reardon."We also understand the importance of an independent evaluation and conformance verification process and invite additional certification bodies to participate in the program.

Reardon added, "We have to give our customers a simple and comprehensive way to understand how products contribute to green buildings and sustainability as a whole."