Green Product Certifications.

There are many green products to choose in the world so how do you know if the product is actually environmentally friendly? It would seem that many companies want to claim their products as green to follow the sustainability trend. However there are a variety of certification and standard programs that can provide accurate and unbiased results pertaining to if a product is environmentally friendly. These sources are important for an interior designer to be familiar with to find green products or to double check if their certification is accurate. http://www.globalecolabelling.net is a good source to look at when wanting to know if a product is eco friendly and what defines it as such. Their purpose is to “improve, promote, and develop the ecolabelling of products and services”. This is a good resource to be familiar with, as it not only defines eco products in the United States but all around the world. Another certification program is Energy Star.  Energy Star products utilize energy efficiency and help save money. If you check out their website, http://www.energystar.gov, it is easy to find products that are energy star approved and the site also provides up to date information comparing their products to those that are not energy star approved. There are also material testing programs to help certify if materials are eco friendly. GREENGAURD is an independent organization that certifies building materials, furnishing, and cleaning products. You can check out their website, www.greengaurd.org, to see a list of materials that have been certified. One last great company is the Carpet and Rug Institute. This company tests carpets and rugs according to the chemicals used and their emissions as well as the adhesives used and their effects. They also research low emitting carpets and other eco friendly recommendations. These are all great sources to refer to when working on any interior design project, green or not!

*Information received from: Sustainable design for interior environments . (2nd ed.). Fairchild Books.