BIFMA level® Program Recommended for Federal Purchasing
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 22 released Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing that included the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard & level® Certification Program.
BIFMA submitted the sustainability standard and certification program for review during the EPA Guidelines Pilot Assessment process and is pleased to be recognized. BIFMA Executive Director Tom Reardon commented “With 465 ecolabels across 199 countries and 25 industry sectors, according to the Ecolabel Index, it is important that solid criteria be established by which the many well-intended programs can be analyzed.”
In these recommendations to all U.S. Government purchasing officials, EPA has given preference to multi-attribute standards and ecolabels (as opposed to those focused on single attributes) for which the agency has been able to confirm the availability of a competent certification body meeting conformity assessment criteria. In addition to recognizing level®, it is recommended that furniture products meet ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 Standard for Formaldehyde and TVOC Emissions (Credit 7.6.1 in the sustainability standard) and California’s furniture flammability standard (Technical Bulletin 117-2013) where applicable.
BIFMA thanks the agency and many stakeholders involved with this effort to create a transparent, fair, and consistent approach to recognizing standards and ecolabels that create positive, measurable, and meaningful change in the environmental performance of products and services.
For additional information, please contact Brad Miller of BIFMA at bmiller@bifma.org or by phone at 616-285-3963.
About BIFMA
BIFMA is the trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMAʼs role has been to monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. www.bifma.org
