The EcoLibrary™ Matrix: April 2009

Certification programs and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) both provide a valuable approach to evaluating the environmental performance of products

Certification programs and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) both provide a valuable approach to evaluating the environmental performance of products. However, a combination of the two provides even deeper insight and credibility. The following matrix identifies various certification programs currently in use by architects and designers and provides an evaluation of each^a, with the inclusion of a life-cycle approach, and with LCA as a part of the certification program.

Certification programs in this Matrix^a were selected and reviewed by The Green Standard based on their frequent use with interior building products, the focus of Interiors & Sources and The Green Guide to NeoCon. This list represents varied types of sustainability certifications: Ecolabeling Programs, Single/Multi-Attribute Certifications as well as Sustainable Product Standards.
Certification Program	Scope of Certification			Transparency
	signifies meeting the criteria			signifies meeting the criteria
	Singular Focus (recycled content, sustainable forestry, etc.)	Multiple Attribute Focus (combines more than one focus area)	Life Cycle Focus (criteria spans a cradle-to-grave concept)	Publicly Available Assessment Methods and Performance Thresholds	Third-Party Certification	Publicly Available Summary of Results	Multi-Stakeholder Development Process	Public Standards Appeals Process
C2C McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
EcoLogo Managed by TerraChoice
Energy Star U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Floor Score Scientific Certification Systems
FSC Certified Forest Stewardship Council
GREENGUARD Air Quality Certification GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Green Label Plus Carpet & Rug Institute
Green Seal Green Seal Organization
Indoor Advantage Scientific Certification Systems
level™ The BIFMA Sustainability Standard
Smart Sustainable Product Standard Market Transformation to Sustainability
Sustainability Assessment for Resilient Floor Coverings (NSF 332-2008)
Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard NSF 140-2007
Sustainable Choice Scientific Certification Systems
SFI Certified Sustainable Forestry Initiative

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Certification programs in this Matrix^a were selected and reviewed by The Green Standard based on their frequent use with interior building products, the focus of Interiors & Sources and The Green Guide to NeoCon. This list represents varied types of sustainability certifications: Ecolabeling Programs, Single/Multi-Attribute Certifications as well as Sustainable Product Standards.
Life Cycle Certification
Certification Program	signifies meeting the criteria
Certification Program	Criteria for Raw Material Sourcing & Manufacturing Operations	Criteria for Product Use Phase	Criteria for End-of-Life Management	Comprehensive Criteria Set for Each Life Cycle Stage	Criteria for ISO-Compliant Full Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)	Criteria for Reductions in Life Cycle Impacts	Requires the Use of LCA for Certification	Requires Independent Verification of LCA Data
C2C McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
EcoLogo Government of Canada	^b	^b	^b	^b
Energy Star U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Floor Score Scientific Certification Systems
FSC Certified Forest Stewardship Council
GREENGUARD Air Quality Certification GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Green Label Plus Carpet & Rug Institute
Green Seal Green Seal Organization	^b	^b	^b
Indoor Advantage Scientific Certification Systems
level™ The BIFMA Sustainability Standard
Smart Sustainable Product Standard Market Transformation to Sustainability
Sustainability Assessment for Resilient Floor Coverings (Draft NSF 2-2007)
Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard NSF 140-2007							^c
Sustainable Choice Scientific Certification Systems							^c
SFI Certified Sustainable Forestry Initiative

NOTES:

Based on information publicly available on the program's Web site.
Since program contains mulitple product categories with different criteria, the authors cannot guarantee that these criteria apply to each category directly. In principle, the program addresses these.
Only requires the use of LCA to reach the highest level of certification: Platinum.

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Updated October 2009!

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