Currently we see many engineered stone brands that have several certificates, today's post we will be dealing specifically with the Greenguard certification program. Many industries have been coloring themselves green and engineered stone is clearly looking at every green certification and making sure their products are not left behind.
Why is Greenguard important?
People spend a great deal of time indoors, during the winter season, the time spent indoors can range over 90%. Although many of us have never looked at this in this perspective, truth is that, our home air has pollutants, and being home means you’re exposed to many airborne pollutants.
Deficient ventilation, humidity levels, temperature levels may have a negative effect on your home air quality, many products and materials which we use or have in our homes may release micro particles and volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air, these may stand as great risks to human health. Allergies, asthma, cancer, reproductive and development problems, as well as annoying odors are some of the most common problems that poor indoor air may cause on humans.
It is said that indoor air pollution can be superior to outdoor air pollution, so it is considered a great health hazard to humans.
So what is a Greenguard Certificate?
Greenguard Environmental Institute is a non-profit organization, which provides special certification for building materials. Currently Greenguard Environmental Institute has three programs, for which building materials may qualify: Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification, Greenguard Children and Schools Certification and Greenguard Premier Certification. These three programs certify specifically building materials, however they also have a building certification program, which is the Greenguard Building Construction Certification.
On the product side, namely building materials are tested and to qualify for their Greenguard certificate have to range as low emitting and non-toxic. To qualify for the certification the manufacturers have to voluntarily settle their products for Greenguard rigorous testing and continuous verification.
The certification process insures that the building material is low emitting and non-toxic, as they are tested for thousands of nocive chemical agents. There is an annual re-certification process and quarterly quality monitoring which insures ongoing compliance with the Greenguard certification program.
Most engineered stone manufacturers have two certificates the Greenguard Air Quality Certificate and the Greenguard Children and Schools Certificate.The engineered stone industry is currently undergoing severe industrial changes to improve it's emission and toxicity, which will gradually improved usability and future certifications.
Green certificates are here to stay, manufacturers will use them aggressively in their marketing, and manufacturers who have not yet seen this current trend will soon have to certify their products or possibly their product may be rejected due to lack of certification.
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