C&A Floorcoverings (C&A), a Tandus company, announced Monday that it has earned Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification for ethos Cushion 100 Roll Goods, a high recycled content, cushion backing for six-foot broadloom carpet.
DALTON, Ga. — C&A Floorcoverings (C&A), a Tandus company, announced Monday that it has earned Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification for ethos Cushion 100 Roll Goods, a high recycled content, cushion backing for six-foot broadloom carpet. In addition the company renewed the EPP certification initially earned in 2004 for its entire line of ER3(R) modular carpet and ER3(R) six-foot structured back broadloom.
"Without question, the market demand for sustainable design practices is increasing exponentially every year. Unfortunately, this otherwise positive direction has encouraged the proliferation of unsubstantiated or ambiguous marketing claims about the environmental characteristics of products," said Mac Bridger, CEO of Tandus. "Third-party certification of our products and processes not only assists our customers in making informed decisions about the true environmental attributes of building materials, but it can be included in specifications as a part of the product evaluation and submittal process."
Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is an internationally respected, neutral third party testing and certification organization dedicated to evaluating a wide variety of environmental and food safety claims.
"We first engaged SCS more than five years ago. Since then, SCS has analyzed and certified the recycled content values of C&A's entire ER3 modular and cushion roll product offerings, ethos Cushion 100 Roll Goods as well as verified our recycling operations and the recyclability of these products," said Bridger. "Since then, SCS has conducted ongoing assessment and analysis of C&A products and on-site audits of C&A's recycling and manufacturing operations."
"The EPP certification program is designed to recognize outstanding environmental performance and encourage continuous improvement by manufacturers," said Kirsten T. Ritchie, Director, Environmental Claims Certification for SCS. "C&A has increasingly sought third-party certification for a widening array of products. They should be commended for their actions."
SCS offers a certification program for Environmentally Preferable Products and Services to address the growing demand for products that have the least impact on the environment. Program development followed Executive Order 13101, which President Clinton issued in 1998, "Greening the Government through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition," which directs federal agencies and their contractors to identify and purchase products designated as "environmentally preferable."
SCS evaluates detailed information about the environmental performance of the products in questions. To achieve EPP certification, five sets of criteria are examined, including Resource Conservation, Product Manufacturing, Product Performance, Extended Product Responsibility, and Innovation. To achieve certification, products undergoing assessment must score at least 75 points overall, and a minimum of 50 percent of each of the possible points in each category except innovation, which is determined case by case. Points can be earned by submitting one or more environmental initiatives for consideration.
A detailed public summary of the certification is available on the SCS website at http://www.scscertified.com/epp.
About C&A: C&A manufactures modular tile and six-foot structured back carpeting for the commercial market. The company's sustainable warranty guarantees that all carpet returned will be recycled in its entirety and that no portion will be landfilled, incinerated (including Waste-To-Energy) or disposed of in any other way. More information can be found online at www.cafloorcoverings.com.
Source: Businesswire, C&A Floorcoverings
