Development of American National Standards for Sustainable Building Products

Abstract

Abstract Numerous interior furnishing products have been introduced into the market claiming a variety of environmental attributes. End users are requesting access to information other than marketing claims to help understand the environmental benefits of each product and to be able to compare products using a consistent basis of measurement. Developing responses to these requests is time-consuming and expensive for manufacturers. Having a consensus set of attributes that define and identify sustainable products in the form of American National Standards will assist both manufacturers and end users in communicating environmental and sustainability related product benefits. NSF International, an ANSI-accredited standards development organization, is working with stakeholders in the contract textile, carpet and rug, and resilient flooring sectors to initiate separate sustainability standardization efforts for these product categories. By working with multiple industries that affect the indoor environment, NSF intends to promote the sharing of best sustainability practices across standards committees, so that the standards are developed in a consistent and cohesive manner. Establishment of these standards will serve to directly support and inform the end user decision-making process for the evaluation of products in these categories with respect to identifying the desired sustainability performance for products to be utilized within specific indoor environments.