CRI Green Label and Green Label Plus Certification

All Shaw Contract Group products that are currently available for purchase meet CRI Green Label and Green Label Plus requirements. The following document explains details of the program.

While studies show that carpet is one of the lowest emitters of VOCs into the indoor environment and that these emissions dissipate very quickly, the Carpet and Rug institute (CRI) implemented the Green Label testing program in 1992 to identify approved carpet products that meet stringent requirements for low chemical emissions. This program has been accepted as the standard for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, and all Shaw Contract Group carpets available for purchase today meet these requirements and are Green Label certified.

This year, CRI introduced the Green Label Plus Program as an enhancement to the Green Label Program. The Updated version meets, and even exceeds, California’s indoor environmental quality standards for low–emitting products used in commercial setting such as schools and office buildings. Working in coordination with California’s Sustainable Building Task Force and the Department of Health Services, Indoor Air Quality Section, the carpet industry voluntarily upgraded its Green Label testing program to meet or exceed testing protocols used by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), designed to help achieve good indoor air quality. Shaw Industries played a leadership role within the CRI to help establish this stringent protocol. Under the agreement between the Carpet and Rug Institute and the California agencies, Green Label Plus will be accepted in lieu of Section 01350, the CHPS low–emitting materials criteria for se in schools.

Green Label Plus was designed for architects, faculty administrators and others who want greater assurance of good indoor air quality. Every type of carpet receiving Green Label Plus certification has been tested for emission levels for all chemicals as required by Section 01350, plus six additional chemicals, utilizing a 14–day test. Subsequent annual tests will target 13 chemicals, and quarterly tests will measure for the total level of volatile organic compounds (TVOC). The emissions standards are based on stringent criteria outlined in Section 01350. Green Label Plus expands on Section 01350 in several respects, including annual testing for the specific chemicals, a chain of custody process, and an annual audit of the testing laboratory.

All Shaw Contract Group Products tested to date meet the Green Label and Green Label Plus Requirements.

Shaw Corporate Headquarters
PO Box 2128
616 E Walnut Ave
Galton, GA 30722-2128
1.800.257.7429
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