When we talk about pollution, we immediately think about emissions from car engine combustion, smokes from bushfires, and dust blown by the wind. We picture thick smog in highly industrialized cities.
While outdoor air quality is a factor potentially having adverse effects on our health, indoor chemical exposure can be up to five times higher; a reality that raises concerns for agencies like the CDC and global organizations like WHO.
Thousands of products and materials commonly found and used in homes, offices, and schools contain harmful chemicals. The more we have become aware of their toxic nature, the more we seek to source greener and healthier alternatives. When purchasing, customers will look for labels that give them the assurance of a healthy product.
The GreenGuard Certification is a particularly solid quality stamp. As an independent certification organization, it has gained international recognition and trust while providing companies with a significant competitive advantage. However, it can be an expensive challenge to certify every product unless you can assert they meet emissions limits by working through and with your supply chain.
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In this article, we explore the benefits of obtaining the GreenGuard Certification and how to collect data to simplify the process and make it more cost-effective.
Products With Negative Impact On Indoor Air Quality
Before we dig into the advantages of being GreenGuard certified, let’s have a look at the products most in scope and what chemicals are to be watched and eliminated.
The products most incriminated with health problems – ranging from itchy eyes to asthma and cancer – include:
- Cleaning and maintenance products
- Building materials
- Furniture
- Furniture finishes
- Electronic equipment
- Medical devices for breathing gas pathways
What they do they all have in common? They release VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which are vaporous gases bearing short- and long-term health effects.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Some products also emit particulates and leachables which GreenGuard tests as well.
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Recently, the CDC has revealed significant sources of formaldehyde and lead arsenate in wood products (pressed wood and fiberboard), either directly infused to work as a pesticide and prevent rot, or released as an airborne gas from resin-based glues.
Even though lead arsenate has been a banned chemical since 1988, it is still present in older buildings, homes, and decks.
What Is The GreenGuard Certification?
Established twenty years ago by the GreenGuard Environmental Institute, the GreenGuard Certification follows a strict process designed to test chemicals and determine a product is safe for indoor use, i.e. meets strict emissions limits typically higher than most compliance programs standards. So far, it has tested over 10,000 chemicals and certified more than 200,000 products.
The Institute’s standards are both field-validated and performance-based, resulting from controlled tests, and the certification is granted on annual basis. The program also assesses manufacturing processes and performs routine testing to never let the safety guard down. With such a strict methodology, the GreenGuard Certification puts companies ahead of existing compliance programs and satisfies code or ordinance criteria.
What Are The Benefits Of Being GreenGuard Certified?
Internationally recognized as a leading advantage in product safety and sustainability in improving indoor air quality, the certification helps businesses strengthen their reputation as a provider of health-friendly products and establish a trust-based relationship with their customers. In other words, any business sporting the GreenGuard certification gains greater credibility and by extension, loyalty. To that effect, a solid set of marketing tools is made available to certified businesses to help in communicating this advantage.
Simplifying The Certification Process With Source Intelligence
As an enterprise looking for a way to outperform your competitors, or a mid-tier supplier looking to add a competitive string to your bow, the challenge always lies in acquiring accurate data.
The traditional process to obtain the GreenGuard Certification is to:
- Identify raw materials and manufacturing processes that have an impact on emissions
- Screen-test samples for GreenGuard criteria
- Test products for actual emission
All this being said, having it done is another endeavor altogether. How do you know your suppliers qualify? Are some of them certified? Are they eligible for certification?
Supply chain visibility is once again at the forefront, and the only sure and cost-effective way to ensure you earn the much-coveted trust label is by collecting data.
With a solution that allows you to trace your supply chain and track each component of your products, you can:
- Collect relevant documentation
- Verify GreenGuard certification criteria are met
- Identify gaps
- Request testing for new materials
Source Intelligence’s compliance platform offers a cost-effective risk-based approach that reduces the need for cost-inducing testing. By tapping into a robust, real-time updated material database, you can eliminate unnecessary tests to minimize costs and engage your suppliers toward a more sustainable business.
As indoor air pollution becomes more of a concern, it is time for you to capitalize on the positive impact-inducing options available to your industry. By understanding that confidence and trust drive profits, you can contribute to better indoor air quality.
Source Intelligence’s solutions revolve around easy data collection and verification, so you have as little manual work to do as possible, and that includes getting the GreenGuard certification.
Book a demo of our AI-powered platform now to see how we can help you obtain GreenGuard certification.
