CRI Green Label Plus Fact Sheet
Green Label Plus Sets Higher Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Standard for Carpet
The new Green Label Plus, an independent testing program for carpet emissions, establishes the highest standard for indoor air quality (IAQ) ever set by the carpet industry.
• The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) launched Green Label Plus to identify carpets that are tested by an independent, certified laboratory and meet stringent criteria for low chemical emissions.
New Addition to CRI's Green Label Testing Program
The CRI IAQ Green Label Testing Program includes the Green Label and the new Green Label Plus.
- The Green Label ensures customers they are purchasing among the lowest emitting carpet products on the market.
- The Green Label Plus is designed for architects, builders, specifiers and facility managers who want even greater assurance that carpet products meet stringent criteria for low chemical emissions.
- Green Label Plus represents the fourth time in 12 years that the carpet industry has voluntarily enhanced the IAQ standard for its products.
Meets California's CHPS Criteria
Green Label Plus meets, and even exceeds, California's indoor quality standards for low-emitting products used in commercial settings such as schools and office buildings.
- Working in cooperation with California's Sustainable Building Task Force and the Department of Health Services, Indoor Air Quality Section, the carpet industry voluntarily enhanced its Green Label program to meet testing protocols used by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS).
- Under the agreement between CRI and the California agencies, Green Label Plus is acceptable in lieu of Section 01350, the CHPS low-emitting materials criteria for use in schools.
- Commercial carpet that meets the criteria for Green Label Plus is listed on both the CRI and CHPS websites.
Passes Rigorous Testing
To receive Green Label Plus certification, carpets must undergo a 14-day testing process that measures emissions for a range of chemicals and is administered by an independent laboratory. The test methodology was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Every carpet receiving Green Label Plus certification has been tested for emission levels for all chemicals as required by Section 01350, plus six additional chemicals, utilizing a 14-day test. The 13 chemicals measured are: Acetaldehyde, Benzene, Caprolactam, 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid, Formaldehyde,
- Methyl-2-Pyrrolidinone, Naphthalene, Nonanal, Octanal, 4-Phenylcyclohexene, Styrene, Toluene, and Vinyl Acetate.
- Subsequent annual tests are based on 24-hour testing that targets 13 chemicals. Plus, quarterly testing will measure for the total level of volatile organic compounds (TVOC).
- Green Label Plus expands on Section 01350 in several respects, including annual tests for the specific chemicals, a chain of custody process and an annual audit of the testing laboratory.
Green Label Plus indicates:
- The manufacturer voluntarily participates in the program and is identified by an assigned number in the label.
- The manufacturer is committed to developing ways to minimize any adverse effects on indoor air quality.
- A representative sample of the product type is tested by an independent laboratory and meets the established emissions requirements.
Green Label Plus Measures Up
The Green Label Plus is an example of the Carpet and Rug Institute's leadership in
the best practices of environmental responsibility.
| CHPS Section 01350 | Green Label | Green Label Plus | |
| Chain of Custody | V | V | |
| Testing for "Chemicals of Concern" | V | limited | V |
| Annual Testing | V | V | |
| Annual Testing for "Chemicals of Concern" | V | ||
| Quarterly Testing for TVOC | V | V | |
| Tested Against the Most Stringent Criteria | V | ||
| Certified Lab Required | V | V | |
| Reproducible Protocols | V | V | |
| Annual Audit of Lab | V | V | |
| Scientific Review Board | V | ||
| Odor Testing | limited | V | |
| Bottom line: Assurance specification = delivered | V | V |
For more information about the Green Label Plus testing program, contact the CRI Technical Department at 706-428-2106.
The Carpet and Rug Institute, headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, is the national trade association for the carpet and rug industry. CRI is the source for information and insight, based on scientific research and technology, into how carpet and rugs can create a better environment - for living, working, learning and healing. Its members are manufacturers and suppliers providing more than 90% of all carpet produced in the United States. For more information visit, www.carpet-rug.com.
June 2004