Press Release: New GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Furniture & Fabrics meets specifications for healthy materials in furnishings

October 01, 2020 Press Releases

Somerville, MA—Today, Clean Production Action released the GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Furniture & Fabrics to meet growing demands for certified environmentally preferable products in healthcare and beyond.

Products covered by the new GreenScreen Certified® Standard include desk systems, seating, accessories, case work, upholstery fabric, window treatments, and wall coverings.

“GreenScreen Certified® for Furniture & Fabrics is highly protective of human health and the environment, complies with Kaiser Permanente’s standard, and gives all purchasers of furniture the assurance that these products avoid chemicals of high concern in their design,” explained Dr. Mark S. Rossi, Executive Director of Clean Production Action. “To certify products, furniture and fabric companies must document compliance to the GreenScreen standard, including statements from their suppliers attesting to conformance to the criteria.”

Kaiser Permanente—one of the largest non-profit healthcare organizations in the U.S. with 12.4 million members, 39 hospitals, and 715 medical offices—is a leader in setting standards for environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP). Kaiser Permanente’s EPP Furniture & Fabrics Standard specifies the avoidance of chemicals of concern to human health and the environment, including phthalates, bisphenols, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), flame retardants, California Proposition 65 chemicals, and other hazardous chemicals.

“This new certification aligns with our EPP Furniture & Fabrics Standard, and provides suppliers with a certified pathway to demonstrate third party compliance with our requirements,” highlighted Jennifer MacDaniel, Principal Interior Designer at Kaiser Permanente.

Furniture and fabric companies can utilize the Health Product Declaration® (HPD) Open Standard to report chemical ingredients in compliance with the new GreenScreen Certified® Standard. “We are excited to partner with Clean Production Action in integrating HPDs into GreenScreen Certified® and communicating the criteria HPDs must meet to conform with the new Standard for Furniture & Fabrics,” said Wendy Vittori, Executive Director of the HPD Collaborative.

This new Standard for Furniture & Fabrics will lower the chemical footprint of products and global supply chains, and enhance the material health choices of purchasers.

For more information on the GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Furniture & Fabrics visit the GreenScreen website.

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About Clean Production Action

Clean Production Action is an independent, non-profit organization based in the United States. Our mission is to design and deliver strategic solutions for green chemicals, sustainable materials, and environmentally preferable products. Our core programs are: GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals, BizNGO, Chemical Footprint Project, and Investor Environmental Health Network.

About GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals

GreenScreen is a globally recognized tool designed to assess and benchmark chemicals based on hazard. Companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use GreenScreen benchmark scores to identify chemicals of concern to human health and the environment, select safer alternatives, and to track and communicate their progress. GreenScreen criteria and guidance are fully transparent and available for anyone to use.

About GreenScreen Certified®

Built upon GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals, GreenScreen Certified® is an independent, non-profit certification that promotes the use of inherently safer chemicals in products and manufacturing. Products are certified to Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels using the suite of GreenScreen tools. 

About HPD® Open Standard

The HPD Open Standard is a standard specification – composed of a format and instructions – for the accurate, reliable and consistent reporting of product contents and associated health information, for products used in the built environment. The HPD Open Standard specification is harmonized with programs of Clean Production Action, International Living Future Institute, Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute, BIFMA, LEED, WELL and a growing number of rating and certification standards in the building industry.