Big News from GREENGUARD

We fret about all the building products and materials coming from China and worry about their quality, but rest assured, things are about to improve--at least in the emissions world.

GREENGUARD announces today the opening of its Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Beijing, China. The same stringent standards that we've come to rely on for certifying low chemical emissions here in the U.S. will now be applied to manufactured products from the entire Asia-Pacific market, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Philippines, and Thailand.

According to Henning Bloech, executive director of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, "So many products sold in the U.S. today are manufactured in China and surrounding nations, we saw a clear need to help those manufacturers produce high-quality, low-emitting products that create healthier indoor environments."

Surprisingly--to me at least--half of all products produced in China are sold there and given the severity of the country's air quality problems and associated health concerns, GREENGUARD's new office will be welcomed in China, especially by those concerned about healthier living.

"The need for pollutant source control there is critical," says Ted Revis, head of GEI's China-based operations. "The response we've gotten so far has been tremendous: already, over a dozen manufacturers have either signed up for or achieved either GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification and/or GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification." The certified products are from the furniture, flooring and surfacing industries.

All emissions testing will be done in the U.S. under the same accreditations that govern all GEI's procedures, including ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996, an endorsement that requires third-party certifiers of products to ensure that their certification processes is of high quality, integrity, and competency, and that it is free of any conflicts of interest, such as financial, commercial, or social influences.


I've always been a fan of GREENGUARD....now more than ever.