There are few other segments like environment where so many different certificates are circulating. “Blue Angel”, EMAS I and II, DIN ISO 14001 are only the most common ones.
But which certificate suites you best?
This question is not only raised by office furniture manufacturers but also by clients in the public or private sector. Especially public tenders are a good example. According to the tender one of the other certificate is required. In the US things are already much better organized. The American business federation of office furniture manufacturers has since quite some time a unique level certificate. Level® is the multi-attribute, sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the furniture industry. It was created to deliver an open and holistic means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment.
The European Federation FEMB will follow now and also offers certifications on three levels. The new certification will cover all relevant aspects of sustainability and is structured according the four impact areas: “materials”, “energy” and atmosphere”, “human and ecosystem health” and social responsibility.
The new standard can be downloaded from www.levelcertified.eu or www.femb.org.