(NSF: Ann Arbor, MI) -- NSF International, an independent organization committed to protecting and improving human health and the environment, offers two new environmental programs to meet the growing demand for science-based support to verify environmental product claims. NSF can now provide Product Category Rule (PCR) development and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) verification across multiple product groups and industries.
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Based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) environmental standard, ISO 14025—“Environmental labels and declarations—Type III environmental declarations—Principles and procedures,” the PCRs define how to conduct a life-cycle assessment for a particular product group and what to include in the resulting report. A life-cycle assessment measures inputs, outputs, and environmental impacts of a product across its lifespan. The Environmental Product Declaration is the third-party-verified report that functions like a nutrition label to explain the data generated from a life-cycle assessment.
Adopted by European countries and growing in recognition in the United States, PCRs and EPDs provide an international standard of communication to compare and report a product’s environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle. This is a benefit for organizations that manufacture and sell products internationally.
As a leading ANSI-accredited developer of more than 70 U.S. national standards, NSF’s National Center for Sustainability Standards (NCSS) serves as a program operator for developing PCRs. The NCSS develops PCRs in a transparent and open process in accordance with internationally-recognized environmental standards.
The NCSS has already begun working with several flooring trade associations on the first North American PCR for resilient, carpet, laminate, tile, and wood flooring products, including:
• Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)
• National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)
• North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA)
• Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI)
• Tile Council of North America (TCNA)
Both the RFCI and the CRI have a history of collaboration with the NCSS. The RFCI participated in the development of the sustainability assessment standard for resilient flooring (NSF/ANSI 332), and CRI on the development of the sustainability assessment standard for carpet (NSF/ANSI 140). Both of these standards utilize life-cycle assessments to support certification.
“Product Category Rule development provides the necessary foundation for life-cycle assessment reporting and Environmental Product Declarations of flooring materials,” says Bill Freeman, consultant to the RFCI. “All three are essential to lend credibility to environmental data and provide our customers with a comprehensive tool to evaluate the environmental impacts of their flooring products.”
“PCRs and EPDs help eliminate greenwashing by providing industries and organizations with a verified, scientific, and internationally accepted method of supporting environmental product claims,” says Jane Wilson, NCSS director. “Professionals that specify and purchase these products will have verified data to use in analyzing and selecting environmentally preferable products.”
Other industries expressing interest in PCRs and EPDs include building products and contract furniture. For more information on product category rules or environmental product declarations, contact NSF Sustainability Standards specialist Mindy Costello at mcostello@nsf.org.
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