The U.S. Green Building Council has approved the use of flooring certified to the GREENGUARD Children & Schools standard as an alternative pathway for achieving credit within the LEED Rating System. This means that buildings seeking LEED certification will have an additional option for achieving credit EQ 4.3: Flooring Systems in regards to low-emitting flooring, according to GREENGUARD.

“We applaud [GREENGUARD] in providing a robust third-party certification program that encourages floor covering manufacturers to verify their products to be protective of building occupants’ health and well being,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC. “This approval will increase the availability of qualified sustainable flooring products including hardwoods, bamboo, laminates, rubber, stone, ceramic, quartz, underlayment and other alternative flooring materials for LEED projects.”

Currently, more than 130 different manufacturers participate in the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification Program which requires extensive initial qualification followed by ongoing verification.  All products must meet, as a minimum, the health-based criteria of CA 01350’s chronic exposure levels including 13.5 parts per billion (ppb) formaldehyde.