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In the last decade, building products with claims by their manufacturers of being "green" or "sustainable" have become increasingly common. Some of these claims have been readily discernable and verifiable while others have been more difficult to evaluate. In certain cases, controversy has arisen between those making the claims, such as manufacturers, and those trying to make objective, informed, design decisions such as architects and interior designers. In the case of resilient flooring, in particular, there has been a need to gain clarity on how to determine the relative sustainability of different products, particularly since there are numerous choices in materials, manufacturing processes, suppliers and applications. Manufacturers of many building products have needed to be careful that claims on their green characteristics have not been misleading in order to remain legally and ethically appropriate. In response to the need for an objective way for designers, specifiers and purchasers of resilient flooring products to make better decisions when selecting floor coverings for green and sustainable buildings, a new national standard has been developed.

NSF/ANSI Standard 332-2010
Sustainability Assessment

NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation) is an independent, not-for-profit standards developer that has developed a new sustainability assessment standard for resilient floor coverings that has also been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as meeting the ANSI standard-setting requirements. The new NSF American National Standard 332-2010: "Sustainability Assessment Standard for Resilient Floor Coverings" (NSF 332) can now be used by architects, designers, owners, facility managers and end users to determine for themselves the reliability of the sustainability attributes of a range of resilient flooring products. While the standard is offered as a self-assessment for manufacturers, its credibility is derived from having been developed through the open, consensus-based ANSI process with public review and input. Further, optional third-party certification under this standard offers specifiers the highest level of confidence and credibility in a market that has no shortage of green claims. The goal is to make it easier to evaluate the sustainability profile of resilient floor coverings, and to enable the resilient floor covering industry to offer flooring products with increased sustainability.

Photos courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

In the broadest sense, resilient flooring is usually defined as a hard surface flooring material but with some "give" or "resilience" when walked on that bounces right back to its original configuration. Within Standard 332, resilient flooring is specifically defined as "a floor surfacing material made in sheet or tile form, or formed in place as a seamless material that has a wearing surface that is not textile." A key distinction is that the wearing surface is non-textile such as would be found in carpets and covered under other standards. Examples of resilient floor coverings include vinyl tile, vinyl composition tile, sheet vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles and planks, cork, rubber, polymeric, and linoleum flooring products. Also included are accessories such as wall base, moldings and stair treads.

Within Standard 332, resilient flooring is specifically defined as "a floor surfacing material made in sheet or tile form, or formed in place as a seamless material that has a wearing surface that is not textile." The resilient flooring above has the appearance of stone, but is not. Photo courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

 

NSF 332 is based on providing "a thorough communication of information that is verifiable, accurate and not misleading about environmental and social aspects associated with the production and use of resilient floor coverings." The standard is "intended to be science based, provide transparency, and offer credibility for manufacturers in making claims of environmental preferability and sustainability, and to harmonize the principles and procedures used to support such claims." While the standard is intended to be used primarily by product manufacturers, it is expected that it will also be used by independent auditors, certification bodies and environmental labeling organizations, architects, designers, and purchasers in determining market-based environmental and sustainability claims. Overall, the standard offers a consistent approach to the evaluation and determination of environmentally preferable and sustainable resilient floor coverings and includes relevant criteria across the product's full life cycle from product design, through manufacturing, use and end-of-life management. In addition to all of the above, the standard is deemed applicable to products manufactured in one facility or multiple facilities, one country or multiple countries.

Image courtesy of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute; used by permission of NSF International

Under NSF leadership NSF 332 was developed using the ANSI consensus-based process that included architects, academia, environmental program managers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and federal agencies responsible for procurement practices, and flooring manufacturers. The standard is built upon scientific principles including the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14000 series Environmental Standards. It took over three years to complete the process that included a two-year public comment and voting period. NSF 332 was first released as a draft standard and ultimately received final ANSI approval in 2010.

The development committee included representatives from the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI). RFCI is a nonprofit industry trade association representing the major manufacturers of resilient flooring, raw material suppliers and sundry product producers (e.g. adhesives). RFCI currently works with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) to administer FloorScore®, which certifies hard-surface flooring complying with the indoor air quality program for VOC emissions under California Section 01350 (CDPH/EHLB Stnadard method VI.1-February 2010) and LEED IEQ 4.1 and 4.3. Hundreds of hard-surface flooring materials and adhesives currently bear the FloorScore® seal.

The new NSF/ANSI Standard 332-2010 looks at all types of resilient flooring (e.g. vinyl tile, VCT, sheet vinyl, polymeric, rubber, cork, linoleum flooring). Photos courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

Understanding NSF/ANSI Standard 332

From the outset, the intent was to develop a comprehensive standard that looked at multiple criteria so that products could be assessed based on multiple attributes of that product, not just a single attribute. Single-attribute standards serve a purpose but multi-attribute standards are regarded as more indicative of determining such things as an Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) as mandated by many government agencies. NSF 332, which uses the multi-attribute approach, is responsive to market requests for a more comprehensive tool just as FloorScore® responded to market demands for measuring VOC emissions which impact indoor air quality.

Criteria Category Groupings

Six categories of potential environmental impact to be evaluated are included in NSF 332. The criteria are grouped in general conformance with a product's life cycle, from design (including raw material selection and their production) to manufacturing, use and end of life. Additionally, criteria related to corporate governance are included to address issues of social responsibility. The six categories are as follows:

1. Product design that encourages manufacturers to integrate environmental and life-cycle thinking into the product's design process
2. Product manufacturing processes that encourages manufacturers to quantify the environmental impacts from their manufacturing, and then act to reduce or remove those impacts
3. Long-term value encouraging manufacturers to maximize product longevity
4. End-of-life management encouraging existing and new resilient flooring products to be collected, processed, recycled, and/or composted within the existing material's recycling infrastructure
5. Corporate governance encouraging corporate social responsibility in the form of providing a desirable workplace, being involved in the local community, and demonstrating financial health
6. Innovation (optional) to give manufacturers the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional performance above the requirements set forth in NSF 332

Scoring MethodologyFor resilient flooring manufacturers that choose to assess the sustainability performance of their products in accordance with this standard, a point-based scoring system has been developed. The system is based on a 90-point scale with a varying number of points assigned to accomplishing each of the assessment categories. Note that the Innovation category is optional and allows for 10 bonus points beyond the 90 available in the other categories for a total maximum potential score of up to 100 points. The category point breakdown is as follows:

1. Product Design – up to 30 points
2. Product Manufacturing – up to 29 points
3. Long-Term Value – up to 9 points
4. End-of-Life Management – up to 10 points
5. Corporate Governance – up to 12 points
6. Innovation – up to 10 points

Labeling, Reporting and Certification

The methodology for assessing whether a product conforms to the environmental and social responsibility criteria and for verifying ongoing conformance begins with the manufacturer. Each manufacturer self-certifying under NSF 332 is responsible for creating appropriate documentation in sufficient detail to ensure confidence that the requirements in the standard have been met. Product manufacturers making a declaration of conformance with the standard (i.e. a substantiated claim of sustainability for the product(s) assessed) should report this in a publicly available document (e.g., available on manufacturer's website).

Achievement of conformance with all of the prerequisites and additional criteria allows manufacturers to declare Sustainable Product(s) Achievement declarations based on the specific point score achieved for each individual product assessed as follows:

Conformant: 25 points minimum

Silver: 35 points minimum

Gold: 45 points minimum

Platinum: 60 points minimum

When architects are preparing specifications for sustainable resilient floor coverings, the NSF/ANSI Standard 332-2010 can be identified at the Conformant level (25 points) as a minimum. For buildings and designs seeking higher levels of sustainability, Silver, Gold or Platinum levels can be specified. Note that the availability of manufacturer's products at those levels must be determined for a coordinated design. It is also important to note that these levels of sustainability can be specified independently of any other sustainability goals for the project such as LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council and GREEN GLOBES green building certification. This approach using defined levels of conformance was developed so that sustainability principals could be attainable by companies regardless of size or number of manufacturing plants. Note, however, that certification is for specific products made at specific plants. The same product made at a different plant which is not part of the certification process cannot bear the standard's certification.

Prerequisites within the NSF/ANSI Standard 332-2010 must be met, along with optional sustainability criteria, for resilient flooring to achieve one of four levels of Sustainable Product Achievement. Photos courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

Prerequisites Required to Conduct an Assessment

Four of the six assessment categories in NSF 332 contain a total of 11 specific prerequisites that are minimum threshold requirements under the standard. Manufacturers using the standard to demonstrate sustainability of their product must first meet all of the prerequisites in each category in order to proceed any further. Once all 11 prerequisites are met, they may then seek points toward the Sustainable Product(s) Achievement levels (Conformant, Silver, Gold or Platinum) by meeting the additional specified scoring criteria within the six categories. Note that the prerequisites as described below do not carry any points, rather they are intended to establish the minimum qualifying baseline criteria from which a product can then be judged further for sustainability under NSF 332.

The first three prerequisites are in the Product Design Category as follows:

Environmental considerations in design. The manufacturer must implement an environmental assessment program within the product(s) design and development system. The program shall consider the environmental attributes and impacts of its products and packaging, including issues such as designing for longevity, designing for reusability, and designing for recyclability and/or compostability. The environmental assessment program shall consider environmental attributes and impacts of products and packaging across the entire product's life cycle (e.g., raw material extraction, manufacturing, use and end of life).

Inventory of material inputs. The manufacturer must complete an inventory of material inputs for the product(s) undergoing assessment including packaging and recommended adhesive systems. At a minimum, the inventory shall report inputs by using Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) nomenclature, with inputs classified as hazardous declared to a minimum 1000 ppm (0.1 percent) threshold and other inputs to 10,000 ppm (1.0 percent) threshold. The manufacturer shall also document the environmentally sustainable nature of the materials (e.g. recycled [pre- or post-consumer], bio-based, environmentally preferable).

Identification of use of chemicals of concern. The manufacturer must create a report classifying the raw material inputs for the product(s) undergoing assessment, including recommended adhesives, by the chemical hazard classification listed below.

At a minimum, the manufacturer must report whether the raw material input comprising at least 1000 ppm of the product(s) or adhesive is classified by any of the following: (1) the International Agency on the Research of Cancer (IARC) as a human carcinogen (Group 1) or probable human carcinogen (Group 2A); (2) the National Toxicology Program (NTP) as a known human carcinogen or reasonably anticipated carcinogen; (3) the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a regulated toxic metal or carcinogen; (4) California Proposition 65 as a carcinogen or reproductive toxin; (5) U.S. EPA as a Persistent, Bioaccumlative, and Toxic (PBT) chemical; (6) U.S. EPA as a Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) toxic chemical or compound; (7) U.S. EPA as a RCRA Waste Minimization priority chemical; (8) U.S. and Canada as a Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy chemical; (9) the Stockholm Convention as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP); and (10) the European Union as a hazardous substance subject to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

Three prerequisites fall under the category of Product Manufacturing as follows:

Environmental policy. The manufacturer must implement an environmental management policy that includes a commitment to continual improvement and pollution prevention, plus showing assurance of compliance with applicable regulations and other legal environmental requirements. This policy shall be communicated to all persons working for or on behalf of the organization, and be made publicly available.

Energy inventory. The manufacturer must complete an inventory of energy use that encompasses production by quantity and source of energy. The manufacturer shall also identify type and distance of transportation of raw materials from key suppliers.

Water use inventory. The manufacturer must complete an inventory of water use including identification of quantity of water used, quantity consumed (e.g., loss through evaporation), and sources (e.g., municipal potable, direct capture, on-site wells, reclaimed wastewater).

Two prerequisites fall under the category of Long-term Value as follows:

Recommended usage. The manufacturer shall confirm that their resilient floor covering products are designed and manufactured to be durable and long-lasting under conditions of intended use. The manufacturer shall also demonstrate a continuous effort to communicate relevant design and product selection criteria in order to assure the product(s) are used as intended for the longest possible service life.

Minimal long-term indoor volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The manufacturer shall demonstrate that the maximum concentration for any VOC emitted shall not result in a modeled indoor air concentration greater than half of the chronic reference exposure level (CREL) established by California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). A separate concentration level for formaldehyde is also established.

The final three prerequisites fall under the category of Corporate Governance and primarily address social sustainability as follows:

Prevention of discrimination. The manufacturer shall demonstrate that it does not engage in or support discrimination in the employment process at the corporate level by adherence to regulations related to civil rights, equal pay, age and physical handicaps.

Prohibitions on forced labor. The manufacturer shall demonstrate that it does not engage in or permit the use of forced or compulsory labor at its facilities and those of its key suppliers.

Prohibitions on child labor. The manufacturer shall demonstrate that it does not operate facilities or source key supplies that do not follow international standards on child labor.

With the prerequisites satisfied, a user of the standard is then ready to delve into the specific scoring criteria of each of the six categories as summarized on the following pages. A copy of the summary scoring sheet included in the standard is shown in the table below.

The scoring criteria used to demonstrate compliance with NSF/ANSI Standard 332-2010 is summarized on a worksheet referenced as "Annex A" at the end of the standard. Click on image for full PDF. Image courtesy of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute; used by permission of NSF International

Product Design Category Scoring Criteria

The stated purpose of the Product Design category is to "encourage manufacturers to integrate environmental and life-cycle thinking into the product design process" and is worth up to 30 points on the 90 point scale. Along with three prerequisites already described, the assessment for this category is broken down into four subcategories each containing specific criteria within as follows:

Enlightened Design Process

The criteria in this subcategory are intended to encourage the understanding of environmental impacts of products by the product designers and developers including the following:

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) or Design for Environment (DfE) assessment. By demonstrating that a full life cycle assessment has been completed using any of a number of nationally recognized standards or programs for that purpose within the past three years relative to the product(s) undergoing assessment, the manufacturer can receive up to 3 points. At a minimum, the life-cycle impact categories characterized must include global warming, acidification, ozone depletion, photochemical smog formation and eutrophication.

Life-cycle assessment improvement. The manufacturer can also receive one point for demonstrating an impact reduction of at least 10% from an established baseline in a minimum of two impact categories as listed above. The baseline shall be no longer than five years prior to the current product certification year.

Environmentally sustainable material inputs. For the product(s) undergoing assessment, credit is given for demonstrating that the manufacturer is fully informed as to the material composition of its products, including packaging and recommended adhesive systems. The criteria are also meant to encourage the selection and use of component materials manufactured wholly or in part from environmentally sustainable inputs such as recycled materials (post-consumer and post-industrial) and bio-based resources.

Environmentally sustainable inputs for product(s). For the product(s) undergoing assessment, the manufacturer can earn up to 8 points by declaring the total quantity of environmentally sustainable inputs specified on a percentage weight basis for recycled (pre- or post-consumer) content or bio-based content.

Environmentally sustainable inputs for packaging. An additional 2 points are available by also declaring the total quantity of environmentally sustainable inputs of the packaging materials specified on a percentage weight basis for recycled or bio-based packaging materials.

Human and ecologically friendly inputs

These subcategory criteria are intended to ensure that the manufacturer is fully informed as to the human and ecological hazards associated with the chemical composition of its products, including the recommended adhesive systems. These criteria are also meant to encourage the use of environmentally compatible chemicals while minimizing and eliminating the use of chemicals of concern, which have been identified in the lists specified in the prerequisite for the "Identification of use of chemicals of concern." Using those lists, there are three actions that can receive points:

Minimization of known chemicals of concern in product. The manufacturer can receive up to 5 points for demonstrating raw material input information that the product(s) does not contain: (1) any known carcinogen or reproductive toxin at levels equal to or greater than 1000 ppm (0.1%) or the level that requires labeling under California Proposition 65, whichever is higher; and (2) any OSHA toxic metal, TRI PBT, or TRI toxic chemical or compound at levels equal to or greater than 1000 ppm.

Minimization of known chemicals of concern in recommended adhesive. The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating that no chemical listed as a carcinogen or reproductive toxin comprises more than 0.1% (1000 ppm) of the total mass of the adhesive.

Elimination of chemicals with upstream concerns. For those material inputs present in the product(s) at levels equal to or greater than 5%, the manufacturer can receive up to two points for demonstrating that one step upstream of the life cycle manufacturing boundaries does not release known PBT or listed TRI toxic chemicals or compounds at or above the CERCLA reportable quantity level.

Informed Selection of Suppliers

The intent of the criteria within this section is to ensure that manufacturers are aware of the environmental performance and social accountability of their supply chains.

Supplier environmental disclosure. The manufacturer can receive one point for documenting the implementation of a key supplier environmental disclosure process that requires supplier disclosure of environmental performance information. This information needs to demonstrate compliance (or lack thereof) with local, regional, and national environmental requirements, presence (or absence) of a documented environmental management system, release of reportable quantities of TRI PBT's, use (or lack thereof) of renewable energy supplies, and evidence of greenhouse gas emissions tracking.

Supplier environmental performance disclosure. For this credit, the manufacturer shall document the percent of its key suppliers that have satisfactorily conformed to the company's environmental disclosure requirements as described above. The manufacturer shall receive one point if 50 to 74 percent of its key suppliers have conformed, or receive two points if 75 percent or more of its key suppliers have conformed.

Supplier social accountability. The manufacturer can receive one point for documenting the implementation of a supplier social accountability disclosure process. This process requires suppliers to disclose social accountability information including declaration of compliance with labor requirements and documentation of social accountability conformance.

Supplier social accountability disclosure. The manufacturer can further choose to document the percent of its key suppliers that have satisfactorily conformed to the company's social accountability disclosure requirements as described above. The manufacturer shall receive one point if 50 to 74 percent of its key suppliers have conformed, or receive two points if 75 percent or more of its key suppliers have conformed.

Supplier audits. The manufacturer may receive up to 2 points for first-, second- or third-party supplier audits. It shall receive 1 point if 10 percent or more of its key suppliers were audited in the past five years to verify conformance with environmental or social accountability disclosure requirements. It shall receive a second point if it has conducted annual reviews of 10 percent or more of its key suppliers.

Product Manufacturing Category Scoring Criteria

The criteria for product manufacturing include a sensitivity to environmental concerns. Photo courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

The criteria under this second category are focused on manufacturing and are intended to "encourage manufacturers to quantify the environmental impacts from their manufacturing, and then act to reduce or remove those impacts." Organized into five sub-categories, it includes the three prerequisites related to environmental policy, energy inventory, and water use inventory plus the ability to earn up to 29 points based on the criteria below:

Environmental Policy and Management

The intent of these criteria is to ensure that manufacturers have a basis from which to include strategic environmental management within their organization.

Registered EMS system. The manufacturer can receive three points for documenting that its Environmental Management System (EMS) system is certified under ISO 14001 by a third party certifier.

Maintaining environmental attributes through manufacturing.

The manufacturer can receive one point for implementing a tracking system to ensure that design criteria specified in its EMS system are not cost-engineered or otherwise modified during the manufacturing process.

Conservation of Energy Resources

A manufacturer can reduce its environmental impact by means of its energy initiatives: both reduction of consumption (i.e., conservation) and selection of source (i.e., renewable sources). The criteria below encourages both approaches in order to reduce the environmental impacts from energy production and consumption, including resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous air pollutants.

Reduction of environmental impact of energy input. The manufacturer can demonstrate overall reduction in the environmental impact of its energy inputs on a unit product(s) basis, facility basis or total manufacturing operation of compliant or similar product(s). Reduction must be calculated from the year 2000 or later. Impact reduction shall be quantified based on measured reductions in energy consumption (i.e. direct fuel, electricity, steam) and/or conversion of energy inputs from non-renewable resources (e.g., fossil fuels) to renewable alternatives. Significantly, the manufacturer can receive between 2 to 10 points based on a chart within the Standard corresponding to reductions from 1 percent to over 35 percent.

Management of Water Resources

The criteria within this category encourage the conservation of water sources and protection of water quality.

Reduced water consumption. The manufacturer can receive one point on a per-unit basis from the year 2000 or later for an average of 1 percent water reduction per year over a given 5-year period or a 5 percent reduction of water consumption over the last 10 years.

Water quality. The manufacturer can earn up to 2 points for documenting that wastewater released either to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW), or directly to the environment, is of a quality equal to or better than the quality of the supplied water according to established standards.

Optimization of Material Resources

The criteria here are intended to encourage the maximization of yield from product(s) raw materials and to minimize the generation of waste materials during production.

Waste minimization program. The manufacturer can receive one point for having a documented and operational waste minimization program that includes quantification of waste generation rate.

Manufacturing waste minimization. The manufacturer can receive either one point for demonstrating a waste generation reduction rate of at least 10 percent over the previous 10 years or two points for demonstrating an annual average total waste generation rate of less than 2 percent on a weight basis.

Packaging minimization. The manufacturer can incorporate packaging and delivery methods that minimize waste generation during transport and installation of product(s). It shall receive one point if a product's packaging weight is documented as constituting less than 2 percent of the product's weight. Where pallets are normally used in shipment of flooring product(s), including the pallet weight in the 2 percent requirement is waived provided a recycling or reclamation program has been documented for the used pallets.

Protection of Air Resources

These criteria are intended to minimize or eliminate the production and release of greenhouse gases and of known air contaminants.

Greenhouse gas loadings. The manufacturer can receive two points for completing a greenhouse gas inventory for product manufacturing operations in accordance with ISO 14064 or an equivalent standard.

Greenhouse gas reduction goals. The manufacturer can receive one point for establishing greenhouse gas reduction targets equal to 5 percent reduction using 2000 as the baseline year.

Greenhouse gas reductions. The manufacturer can demonstrate their own reduction in greenhouse gas loadings on a per unit production basis with the initial year of calculation being 2000 or later. The manufacturer can receive one point for each 10% reduction up to a maximum of three points.

PBT reductions. The manufacturer can seek to demonstrate that emissions of PBT compounds are below US EPA reporting levels. The manufacturer can receive one point for achieving this goal in relation to emissions from its on-site activities and/or one point for achieving the goal in relation to emissions from its supplied electricity source/s, for a maximum of two total points.

Long-Term Value Category Scoring Criteria

The criteria under this category focus on encouraging manufacturers to maximize product longevity which is dependent on its durability and performance characteristics thus reducing the replacement cycle and environmental impact. Up to 9 points are available in three sub-categories after satisfying the two prerequisites of recommended usage and minimization of VOCs.

The criteria for long term value include the ability of the product to perform as intended and remain durable over time. Photo courtesy of Resilient Floor Covering Institute

Fitness of Purpose

The criteria here are intended to demonstrate that the product(s) performs as intended in order to ensure that positive environmental attributes have not been undermined by lower-quality performance.

Durability. The manufacturer can receive 4 points for providing documentation showing that the product(s) performs at or above performance requirements as described in industry-recognized standards that are relevant to the specific product(s).

Protection of Indoor Air Quality
This criteria is meant to demonstrate that the product(s) and its associated adhesives and sealants do not release chemicals of concern or provide a pathway for other elements that are potentially irritating and/or harmful to installers and occupants.

Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC). The manufacturer can receive one point by annually tracking the TVOC emissions of the finished flooring product and showing that the TVOC level has not exceeded its defined baseline value by more than 500 ug/m3 as determined using a specified office modeling program.

De minimis indoor carcinogenic VOC emissions. The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating that carcinogenic or reproductive toxicant VOCs are not emitted from products at levels above the Safe Exposure Levels (SELs) as described in a specified standard.

Minimal short-term adhesive and sealant emissions. The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating that adhesives and sealants (as applicable) recommended for use by the flooring manufacturer meet the VOC content limits established in specified standards.

Compatibility with green maintenance strategies. Here the focus is on ensuring that resilient flooring products sold in the marketplace are compatible with, and encourage the use of, green maintenance strategies.

Elimination of chemicals of concern from cleaning products. One point is available for demonstrating that the recommended cleaning products and maintenance procedures (including stripping and resealing) do not require the use of any of the listed chemicals of concern in specified lists nor contain those chemicals at levels equal to or greater than 1000 ppm (0.1 percent).

Control of VOC emissions from cleaning products. The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating that recommended cleaning products do not exceed the maximum allowable VOC levels established by California for the relevant product(s) group.

End-of-Product-Life Management Category Scoring Criteria

Up to 10 points are available under this category which is intended to encourage product reclamation and recycling for resilient flooring. There are two subcategories with no prerequisites as follows:

Reclamation Feasibility

The intent here is to ensure that existing and new resilient flooring products can be collected, processed, recycled and/or composted within the existing materials recycling infrastructure.

Product(s) recyclability or compostability. The manufacturer can receive up to 2 points for demonstrating that post-consumer collected material (including installation waste) can be: (1) recycled into a different product(s) group (e.g., vinyl tile into car bumpers); (2) composted or otherwise converted into a beneficial soil amendment (e.g., gypsum, wood dust); (3) recycled into a similar product(s) (e.g., vinyl tile into vinyl tile); or (4) recycled into a complementary product(s) group (e.g. vinyl tile into carpet tile). Recyclability claims must show that the recycled material can comprise at least 5 percent by weight of the new product(s). Composting claims must conform to ASTM D6400.

Post-consumer collection operations. For products that have been available for sale for ten years or more, the manufacturer can demonstrate that the product(s) (including installation waste) is being collected for recycling or composting through ongoing collection operations. For new products (e.g., those with a market presence of less than 10 years), the manufacturer shall demonstrate preparation and implementation of a post-consumer collection and recovery plan. The manufacturer can receive either one point for demonstrating conforming activities within 200 miles of at least two major metropolitan areas or two points for demonstrating conforming activities for a national area.Product Reclamation and StewardshipThe intent of this sub-category is to encourage the diversion of flooring materials from landfills, and to promote the redirection of material resources into new products instead.

Post-consumer reclamation. The manufacturer can receive one point for up to 2% post-consumer reclamation; two points for 3 percent or 4 percent post-consumer reclamation; or, at a maximum, three points for 5 percent or greater post-consumer reclamation. To qualify, the manufacturer must document, calculate, and report the product(s) post-consumer reclamation rate of products based on details set forth in the standard. Corporate investment in reclamation. The manufacturer can receive points for the percent of their revenue (annual average, maximum five-year averaging) that it commits to documented activities associated with improving the reclamation rate of its products. The manufacturer can receive one point for 0.05 percent of their revenue invested, two points for 0.10 percent of their revenue invested, or a maximum of three points for 0.15 percent or more of their revenue invested. Qualifying activities include research and development in materials processing and new product(s) development (using reclaimed materials); purchase and installation of processing equipment to be used wholly or in part for the processing of reclaimed flooring materials, including composting grinding equipment; and other quantifiable financial support of post-consumer material collection, processing, and manufacturing activities (including ongoing labor expenses).

Corporate Governance Category Scoring Criteria

The criteria in this category are focused on encouraging corporate social responsibility in terms of providing a desirable workplace, being involved in the local community, and demonstrating financial health. A total of 12 points are available in four sub-categories after satisfying the three prerequisites that prohibit discrimination, forced labor and child labor. For purposes of this category, manufacturer is interpreted as a parent corporation, a manufacturing plant, and/or a business unit.

Public Commitment to Sustainability

These criteria demonstrate corporate/organizational leadership in public disclosure and transparency of key environmental and social accountability objectives and data. The information described below can be released as part of the company's annual report, available to all who request a copy, or available online from the company's website.

Preliminary disclosure. The manufacturer can receive one point for publicly releasing one of several forms of standardized information about their environmental management and social accountability performance, and life-cycle assessment findings.

Comprehensive disclosure (Corporate Level). The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating it has publicly released a corporate or plant annual sustainability report per the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative of the United Nations Environment Program or its annual environmental and social accountability targets and achievements.

Employer Responsibility

Employee turnover (Plant Level). One point is available for quantifying and reporting the average employee turnover rate (per year or two-year rolling average).

Employee injury rate (Plant Level). One point is available for quantifying and declaring the average employee injury rate (per year or two-year rolling average) including occupational accidents, injuries, illnesses and disease.

Right to collective bargaining (Plant Level). One point is available for demonstrating compliance with the National Labor Relations Act requirements or the internationally recognized equivalent.

The criteria for corporate management address social and management responsibilities and concerns. Photos courtesy of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute

 

Living wages/remuneration (Plant Level). A manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating that non-management personnel wages are sufficient to meet basic needs of personnel and provide some discretionary income plus demonstrating that wages are paid directly to employees, with full disclosure of any required or authorized deductions (e.g., taxes, health care benefits, and retirement investments).

Community Engagement (Plant Level) Community financial investment. A manufacturer can receive one point for investing 10 percent or more of its net income in the community. This requires that a manufacturer declare this investment, as defined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, based on the average three-year rolling monetary value provided to the communities where the majority of employees reside by means of state and local taxes paid plus direct contributions (e.g., grants and investments). Employee salaries and other employee remuneration are excluded from this calculation. Taxes or investments made at the state level do not qualify unless specifically designated for allocation to the community.

Employee participation. The manufacturer can receive one point for documenting company-supported employee activities within the community. Company-supported employee activities consist of community service work performed during paid time off for that purpose, excluding activities deemed political in nature.

Local recruiting. The manufacturer can receive one point for documenting net local employment (full-time equivalent basis) and local sourcing expenditures (U. S. dollars spent or equivalent) per year or three-year rolling average.

Financial Leadership (CorporateLevel) The standard recognizes that "sustainability requires triple bottom line actions that are important to achieve social and environmental goals." Toward that end, the following are included:

Profitability. The manufacturer can receive one point for demonstrating continued year-over-year profitability.

Investment in research and development (Corporate Level). The manufacturer can receive one point for devoting 2.5 percent or more of its annual revenue to research and development activities intended to support the continuing viability of the company, including investment in emerging technologies.

Vendor/supplier satisfaction (Plant or Corporate Level). The manufacturer can receive one point for reporting the percentage of contracts that were paid in accordance with agreed terms, excluding agreed penalty arrangements. Terms may include scheduling of payments, form of payment and other conditions.

The criteria for the optional innovation credits encourage creative thinking to go beyond the basic requirements of the standard. Photos courtesy of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute

 

Innovation Category Scoring Criteria

This optional category is intended "to give manufacturers the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional performance above the requirements set forth in previous sections of this standard, and/or for innovative performance in categories not specifically addressed by this standard." The number of points awarded is determined on a case-by-case basis with a maximum of 10 points (in addition to the 90 point scale) available for innovation under this category. These innovation points are awarded for comprehensive strategies that demonstrate quantifiable environmental benefits and are proportional to an existing credit within the standard. The intent is to recognize novel approaches for reducing the environmental footprint of the manufacturer. In order to request an innovation credit, a manufacturer must submit a written explanation of the innovation, why it does not fit into the current categories or credits provided in the Standard and justify that the amount of points requested by drawing a parallel to the number of points awarded in a similar category.

For example, a manufacturer may earn innovation points for dematerialization. In this case, credit can be provided for process and for products or product(s) lines that provide equal function using less material by percent weight per sq ft, which reduces impacts as measured over all product(s) stages.

Conclusion

Resilient flooring has a well-established presence in this country. Originally used only in high-traffic areas, vinyl flooring has become a very popular choice for flooring in just about any hard-surface application due to its superior performance characteristics when compared to other flooring alternatives. Common features such as cushioned vinyl floors and "no-wax" resilient floors are supplemented with specialty resilient floors which provide enhanced slip resistance and static conductivity developed to meet the needs of the marketplace. Resilient flooring is often used in hospitals and schools because of its easy-to-clean and moisture resistance surfaces which are crucial to controlling pathogens and limiting bacterial growth. Today, resilient flooring as a category is a strong second in floor covering sales in North America, with its market share having increased 37 percent over the past decade because of its long-lasting performance, sustainability, cleanliness, safety, value and aesthetics.

With the added demand for sustainability in buildings, the new NSF/ANSI Standard 332 can now be used to further assess these flooring products on the basis of the criteria and definitions contained within the standard. Architects and designers can then judge for themselves the degree of sustainability that they seek based on the criteria in the standard and its relationship to the green building movement in general.

 

Resilient Flooring is not only a great choice for versatile, cost-effective flooring solutions - it's also a great choice for the environment. RFCI is leading the way in sustainability with their third-party certification programs and standards.   www.rfci.com

Learn At Your Own Pace:

You can take this course and follow along at your own pace. Speed up, slow down, or stop now and finish later. Click "Take the Course Test" to go straight to the test and earn your credits. You'll know immediately if you have earned credits and you will be able to print out your certificate of completion instantly.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course you will be able to:

Identify the criteria used to define sustainability in resilient flooring under the standard. Differentiate and distinguish among different levels of sustainability for resilient flooring using the new standard. Investigate different approaches that manufacturers and suppliers of resilient flooring can take toward creating sustainable resilient flooring products. Analyze and assess the sustainability of specific resilient flooring products based on their score under the standard.

Credits: 1.00 HSW/SD

Course Outline:

This course is a presentation designed to earn you 1.00 AIA/CES Learning Unit. Use the onscreen controls to pace the presentation to your liking, and then click "Take the Course Test" to take the exam for this course and earn your credit.