Some materials provide a better alternative in an application dominated by products for which there are concerns about toxic constituents, intermediaries, or by-products. With the panoply of products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants, some products are green simply because they provide an alternative. Examples of this are natural wall coverings, drain and vent piping, and roofing membranes. Some green products are free of hazards common to the product category; for example, LED lighting is inherently free of the mercury found in fluorescent lighting sources.
However, it’s worth noting that without transparency about actual ingredients, there’s no guarantee that a product won’t have less common or less well-known hazards that the manufacturer isn’t talking about. We use Pharos’s Chemical and Material Library to assess less well-known hazards, and we encourage manufacturers to review the hazardous properties of all chemicals they use and seek out safer materials.
Gunlocke Seating
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Just how low the VOC level needs to be for a given product to qualify for inclusion in GreenSpec depends on the product category. For most products, we require certification to California’s health-based emissions standard, CDPH Std Method v1.1 standard (also referred to as California Section 01350), which tests a product’s resultant VOC concentrations in the space after a given period of time. For wet-applied products like paints, caulks, and adhesives, we still also look for VOC content instead of, or in addition to, verified low emissions; this is because emissions testing doesn’t adequately test initial offgassing, and VOC content is currently the only widely available proxy.
Gunlocke offers a range of executive, guest, and lounge seating that is BIFMA level 2 certified. A few of the seating options are also SCS Indoor Advantage Gold certified for low emissions. According to the company, all the wood in Gunlocke's seating can be FSC-certified for a 5% upcharge. Gunlocke offers a five-year warranty on high-wear components and seating control mechanisms, and a three-year warranty on the fabric and leather.
As with all furniture products, make sure that seating doesn’t introduce harmful emissions into the space. Also look for lower-impact materials and manufacturing processes.
Seating must meet the same high bar that GreenSpec has established for all furniture products: products must be low-emitting and exhibit multiple other environmental features, such as being made primarily from greener materials. Note that salvaged products typically don't have low-emitting certifications but are included anyway for their efficient use of resources.- Most seating products are at least certified to BIFMA Level 2, although there may be some exemplary seating which is included without this.
When specifying upholstered seating, pay special attention to unique environmental and health concerns. Upholstery requires chemical- and water-intensive processing. Fabrics and foams often include chemical additives and finishes such as flame retardants, mothproofing, and stain-resistant chemicals. Items incorporating fabric can also collect dirt and airborne contaminants, releasing them later. Consider whether upholstered products are really necessary, particularly if a greener alternative isn’t available.
GreenSpec includes upholstery products as part of a green furniture line, but upholstery products are only singled out for listing if they address toxicity concerns for both the product and manufacturing process.
GreenSpec lists upholstery products that provide full disclosure of material composition demonstrating no content of high-hazard chemicals (according to the Pharos Chemical and Material Library).
Certifications
LEED Credits
IEQc4.5: Low-Emitting Materials—Systems Furniture and Seating
IEQc4.5: Low-Emitting Materials—Furniture and Furnishings
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