Green Building and the Environment

Green Building and the Environment

Carpet: A Sustainability Success Story

The carpet industry has succeeded in making carpet more sustainable and environmentally responsible than ever before. As almost all commercial carpet is certified as Green Label Plus, you can be sure that the carpet you select emits the very lowest level of VOCs. The GLP testing program meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements for emissions, including CA 01350, and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to ISO 17065 specifications.

LEEDing Into the Future

U.S. Green Building Council

GLP-certified products, including carpet, are recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED version 4 standard as a Low-Emitting Materials Third Party Certification and can contribute one point to a building’s LEED score.

Projects can also earn LEED credits by incorporating salvaged materials—such as refurbished, reused or recycled carpet—into plans for new construction or renovation. Recycled content carpet meets the same industry performance standards and carries the same manufacturer warranties as carpet without recycled content.

U.S. Green Building Council

Taking CARE to Recycle

In addition, carpet manufacturers are voluntarily reducing the amount of old carpet that ends up in landfills. Through the​ Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), carpet companies, government entities and product suppliers are working to develop market-based solutions for the recycling and re-use of post-consumer carpet. Carpet materials are put back into carpet production or turned into things such as building materials and auto parts.

ANCHOR – NSF/ANSI 140 Standard

NSF/ANSI 140 Standard

Identifying Sustainable Carpet

Architects, designers and end users seeking environmentally preferred building materials can now identify carpet that has a reduced environmental impact through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet.

The carpet industry has made significant progress in reducing the environmental footprint of carpet, including landfill diversion, carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption, waste generation, water usage, and hazardous air pollutants per square yard of carpet. The standard is a means by which these achievements can be quantifiably measured. Furthermore, the standard establishes a pathway towards sustainable carpet by identifying economic, environmental, and social benchmarks throughout the supply chain.

NSF/ANSI 140 recognizes sustainable carpet on three performance levels — silver, gold, and platinum — using a rating system for performance and quantifiable metrics in the following areas:

  • Public Health and Environment
  • Energy and Energy Efficiency
  • Biobased or Recycled Materials
  • Manufacturing and Reclamation and End of Life Management

ANCHOR – Sustainable Carpet Product Platforms

Sustainable Carpet Product Platforms

​Bentley Mills, Inc.
Phone: (800) 423-4709
Website:  ​​www.bentleymills.com

 

NSF/ANSI 140 – Sustainable Carpet Assessment

​J+J Flooring Group a Division of Engineered Floors LLC
Phone: (800) 241-4586​
​Website: ​​www.jjindustries.com

 

NSF/ANSI 140 – Sustainable Carpet Assessment
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)​

Milliken & Company
Phone: (800) 241-4826
​Website: ​​www.millikencarpet.com

 

NSF/ANSI 140 – Sustainable Carpet Assessment

Royal Thai
Phone: (800) 433-2440
​Website: ​www.royalthai.com

 

NSF/ANSI 140 – Sustainable Carpet Assessment

Shaw Industries, Inc.
Phone:  (800) 441-7429
​Website: ​​www.shawinc.com​

 

NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainable Carpet Assessments