Centiva Victory series goes phthalate-free

Centiva has announced that its homogeneous Victory Series products are now phthalate-free. The products, including Magics, Coral Reef, Mineral Chip and Italian Marble, are manufactured in Centiva’s Florence, Ala., factory.

“This has been a long process of product engineering to implement a new raw material with new properties while maintaining the aesthetics, performance, and quality our customers expect from Victory,” said Garth Gaffney, dir. production/research & development.

Incorporating phthalate-free plasticizers into the company’s Event and Contour Series will take a bit more development time, according to the company. Those products have higher recycled content and are manufactured with different processes. An announcement on those products is expected later this year.

Sustainable Concrete Guide Spanish version released

The U.S. Green Concrete Council has released a Spanish CD-ROM of the book: “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples,” from the American Concrete Institute (ACI).

Part 1 of the guide includes concrete basics for sustainability, which outlines the uses of concrete as the most widely used building material in the world. Part 2 of the guide, considerations for best use of concrete for sustainable structures, contains 11 chapters on specific uses of concrete for sustainable structures. Part 3 of the guide, beyond sustainable rating systems: project profiles, features 12 specific construction projects throughout the U.S.; all of which utilize sustainable concrete practices and techniques.

To order, call ACI at (248) 848-3800.

GBCI certifies 10,000th LEED commercial project

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has certified the 10,000th LEED commercial project. GBCI administers the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED building certification program for commercial projects seeking third-party verification of compliance.

The Live Oak Family Resource Center, a community center in Santa Cruz, Calif., is the milestone project earning the 10,000th LEED certification. The center was awarded LEED Platinum by GBCI.

“It seems an appropriate reflection of USGBC’s mission of green buildings for everyone within a generation that a LEED Platinum community center providing support services to local families would earn this special distinction,” said Peter Templeton, president, GBCI.

DuPont Sorona earns Oeko-Tex Class 1 cert

DuPont Sorona, used in fiber applications for textiles and carpet, has received Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 1 Certification from Oeko-Tex and the Hohenstein Textile Testing Institute. Oeko-Tex Class 1 certification covers textiles and carpets intended for use by infants and toddlers, according to DuPont.

“Receiving Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 1 certification for Sorona provides third-party validation of the safety of Sorona for use in all fiber applications,” said Walter L. Fields, III, global business director. “This will benefit our downstream customers, and we will work with them to get further Oeko-Tex certification throughout the supply chain. For carpet mills, apparel brands, and consumers, this certification provides the confidence they need to select high quality textiles and carpets.”

DuPont Sorona is made, in part, with annually renewable plant-based resources. This helps reduce dependency on oil and petrochemicals, according to DuPont, while also offering significant energy savings and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, Sorona is free from heavy metals.

“Oeko-Tex certification verifies Sorona is free from dangerous levels of harmful substances and meets REACH and CPSIA requirements in the EU and USA. This certification is further assurance of the desirability of this fiber for many textile designers concerned about long term sustainability and technical superiority,” added Sam Moore Ph.D, who represents Oeko-Tex in North America.

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