CONTACT: Lisa Young
Work: 616-285-3963
Mobile: 616-826-7168
E-mail: lyoung@bifma.org

Chicago, Illinois – Architects, designers, facility managers, and business leaders pursuing LEED certification may now be able to earn credit for specifying level^® certified furniture products under the USGBC’s new Pilot Credit 80: Environmentally Preferable Interior Finishes and Furnishings – a credit that specifically recognizes products that have been third-party certified to the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.

Scot Horst, Senior Vice President, LEED, USGBC, made the announcement at BIFMA’s 2013 Annual Meeting during the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in Chicago, Illinois.

“BIFMA and the office furniture industry have been at the forefront of sustainability and transparency in product manufacturing and its willingness to engage with USGBC has created a uniquely collaborative process that is helping to encourage increasingly sustainable buildings,” said Horst.

Chuck Saylor, CEO & Founder, izzy+, and President, BIFMA Board of Directors, said, “The full inclusion of level products in this LEED Pilot Credit is a huge win for an industry that has worked tirelessly to meet market demand for increasingly sustainable furniture products.”

About Pilot Credit 80

The purpose of LEED Pilot Credit 80 is to increase the use of interior finishes and furnishings with validated multi-attribute environmental and social profiles. While the furniture sustainability standard is presently the only product standard named, the USGBC is seeking input on other third-party certified products to include.

According to Horst, “The LEED Pilot Credit Library allows us to expand the range of issues LEED addresses while staying true to our mission.”

The LEED Pilot is a rating system development tool designed to test new and revised LEED credit language, alternative compliance paths, and new or innovative green building technologies and concepts. The Pilot Credit offers a feedback loop for both testing and comments. USGBC collects, organizes and integrates feedback to evolve and refine pilot credits during their testing period, with a goal of adding successful credits to the USGBC member balloted LEED rating system.

How it Works

As part of Pilot Credit 80, all level certified furniture products may contribute to LEED certification credits based on a sliding percentage scale for level 1, 2, or 3 product conformance tiers. A project must include at least five different third-party certified products that account for at least 50% of the total interior finishes and furnishing materials by cost (Source: USGBC Pilot Credit 80). Pilot Credit 80 was posted in the LEED Pilot Credit Library on June 10.

About level^®

level is the sustainability certification program for furniture. It is a multi-attribute evaluation of the environmental and social impacts of furniture products. Products are certified level 1, level 2, or level 3 (3 being the highest certification), by a third-party, independent certifying body that measures compliance with the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.

About BIFMA

BIFMA is the trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMAʼs role has been to monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats.

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)


The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org, and connect on Weibo and LinkedIn.

About LEED

As the most widely recognized and widely used green building program across the globe, LEED is transforming buildings, homes and communities in all 50 states and 147 countries and territories. LEED guides the design, construction, operations and maintenance of more than 50,000 projects worldwide, comprising 9.8 billion square feet (836,127,360 sq meters) of commercial and institutional construction space, and more than 134,000 additional residential units. By using less energy, LEED-certified spaces save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce carbon emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. Learn more at usgbc.org/leed.

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Office Furniture Industry to Explore Chemical Trends and Examine the Potential Development of an Industry Chemicals and Materials Database

Grand Rapids, MI – The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) will hold a “Chemicals of Concern Summit” featuring keynote speaker Dr. Joel Tickner, as well as other green chemistry experts and sustainability reporting specialists during a two-day event in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Summit Chair and Herman Miller, Inc.’s Design for the Environment/Sustainability Engineer Denise VanValkenburg, PE, LEED AP, said, “As an industry, we are working through a process to understand how we might collaborate to collect information from our suppliers (many of whom we share), manage collected information, and connect to an assessment system. We are looking for ideas that will work for the industry and with the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard.”

The Summit will start with a big picture perspective of chemical trends offered by keynote speaker Dr. Joel Tickner, Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he also directs the Chemicals Policy and Science Initiative at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. Dr. Tickner directs the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council, a network of 75 firms across sectors dedicated to advancing safer chemistry. He is a leading expert on chemicals regulation, regulatory science, and application of the alternatives assessment in science and policy. He has served as an advisor and researcher for several government agencies, international agencies, non-profit environmental groups companies, and trade unions both in the U.S. and abroad during the past businesses years. Dr. Tickner served on the EPA’s National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee as well as the National Academy of Sciences Panel on the Future of Science at the Environmental Protection Agency. The event ends with an in-depth look at specific tools that the industry as a whole might use to integrate collection, management, and assessment systems.

“The Summit provides the industry with the opportunity to collectively assess a multitude of vendors operating in this space. We’ll be asking each if their solution can help with our industry’s long- and short-term goals and if their system can be modified to meet our specific needs,” said VanValkenburg.

Registration is available online at http://bit.ly/ZKlP52. Cost is $100 for members and $150 for non-members. Cost includes lunch both days. Exhibitor tables are available for $200 and include brand visibility benefits. More information for exhibitors here http://bit.ly/YWQs89

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Since 1973, BIFMA has played a leading role in the development of business and institutional furniture standards.  level^® is the multi-attribute, sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the furniture industry.  level^® was created to deliver the most open and transparent means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment.  Now, through BIFMA’s strategic partnership with GreenWizard, the two organizations will work to solve issues related to proper sustainable materials evaluation through GreenWizard’s Product Management Workflow, which is used for the research, specification, modeling, documentation, and submission of building materials and their associated projects.  More than 2,000 products from approximately 40 manufacturers are level^® certified. GreenWizard will work with BIFMA’s staff in reaching out to BIFMA member companies to initiate and facilitate the loading of BIFMA member companies’ level^® product data and documentation into GreenWizard.

About BIFMA
BIFMA is the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMAʼs role has been to monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. Learn more: www.bifma.org

About GreenWizard
Now a LEED^® Automation (a.k.a. App Lab™) partner, GreenWizard is a comprehensive Product Management Workflow Solution and project collaboration software platform that enables the design and construction community to better manage products and project data, collaborate on projects, assess LEED design and construction credits, and integrate with LEED Online.  Building owners, architects, engineers and contractors can use GreenWizard’s WORKflow® Pro solution at any phase of a building project.  The Charleston, SC-based company was founded in 2008. Follow GreenWizard on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. www.GreenWizard.com.

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Contact:

Lisa C. Young (BIFMA)
lyoung@bifma.org
616-285-3963

John D. Wagner (GreenWizard)
Jdwagner@WagnerPR.com
919-796-9984

LEED has been hugely successful in advancing sustainable principles and transforming the market using a voluntary, multi-attribute credit approach.  It is the inherent flexibility of the multiple-credit, point-based structure that helps to make the rating system so effective.

Following the example of the LEED Rating Systems, various multi-attribute product standards have been created including the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard and the associated level^® Certification Program.  The level^® program is similar to LEED in awarding points for the identification, reduction and/or avoidance of acknowledged chemicals of concern, reductions in water and energy use, greenhouse gas generation, and advancements in many other sustainability attributes.  While these voluntary programs need continuous improvement, they do provide a leadership approach to addressing the complexity of environmental impacts.

BIFMA strongly supports open, consensus standards development and favors the rigorous ANSI development criteria.  While LEED standards are not ANSI approved, USGBC does utilize an open consensus process.  To disregard LEED entirely due to criticism of single issues would sacrifice the benefits gained.  BIFMA supports the inclusion of LEED as an option for public building design and assessment and we invite our members to adopt a similar position.

CHICAGO, IL – The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has reported that 41 commercial and institutional furniture manufacturers now have more than 1,800 furniture products level program certified.

“BIFMA is pleased to announce that the level sustainability certification program for furniture has exceeded the 40 manufacturer mark on the rapidly growing list of companies who produce level certified products. level provides interior designers, architects, facility managers, and others across all industries with an easy method to identify increasingly sustainable products,” said Tom Reardon, BIFMA Executive Director. “We are extremely pleased to see the efforts that these 41 manufacturing companies have made”.

Developed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures, level is the label awarded to office furniture products that meet multiple criteria of the stringent, multi-attribute ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard. Earning the level mark requires validation by an approved third-party certification body.

level establishes measurable performance criteria to address environmental and social aspects of product manufacturing throughout the supply chain, including the areas of Materials, Energy and Atmosphere, Human and Ecosystem Health, and Social Responsibility. Choosing level certified products assures that the product is produced in an environmentally and socially conscious manner and comes from a responsible manufacturer.

Presently the program includes three conformance tiers, level 1, 2, and 3, each requiring specific prerequisites and conformance to optional credits. level 3 is the highest conformance tier under the current ANSI/BIFMA program. The level certification program allows facility managers, architects and designers to evaluate products using a ‘level’ playing field, based upon the product and manufacturer’s environmental and social impact.

A complete list of certified products can be found at www.levelcertified.org

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About BIFMA’s level Certification Program

BIFMA’s level is the multi-attribute sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the commercial furniture industry. BIFMA developed level to deliver an open and holistic means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. Taking into account a company’s social actions, energy usage, material selection, human and ecosystem health, along with numerous other impacts, level addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives.

About BIFMA

BIFMA is the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMA’s role has been to sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. We also monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, interact with international counterparts, and advocate for regulatory conditions that foster value and innovation.

Contact:

Tom Reardon, Executive Director
BIFMA
678 Front Avenue, NW
Suite 150
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone: 616-285-3963
Email: treardon@bifma.org
Website: www.bifma.org
Website: www.levelcertified.org

Over the past two years, BIFMA has trained over 3500 interior designers, architects, facility managers, and others on sustainability and the level certification program. This CEU training program course has been conducted across the United States and Canada, in markets large and small.

Developed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures, level is the label awarded to office furniture products that meet numerous criteria of the stringent, multi-attribute ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard. Earning the level mark requires validation by an approved third-party certification body.

“As the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard has grown to become the #1 furniture sustainability standard used in North America, we have recognized the importance of increasing the number of level CEU sessions as well as the number of cities that they will be held in. By the end of 2013, BIFMA and our growing number of level Faculty, will have trained more than 10,000 industry professionals on the importance of and the use of the level program”, says Tom Reardon”, BIFMA’s Executive Director. “We want to increase exposure to this important sustainability standard and certification program for commercial furniture products, and will be making the training easily accessible to those industry professionals that can benefit from it”.

level establishes measurable performance criteria to address environmental and social aspects of product manufacturing throughout the supply chain, including the areas of Materials, Energy & Atmosphere, Human & Ecosystem Health, and Social Responsibility. Choosing level certified products assures that the product produced in an environmentally and socially conscious manner and comes from a responsible manufacturer.

Check the levelcertified.org website often to view upcoming course dates and times. BIFMA will continue to update this list as additional dates and locations are set.

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About BIFMA’s level Certification Program

BIFMA’s level is the multi-attribute sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the commercial furniture industry. BIFMA developed level to deliver an open and holistic means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. Taking into account a company’s social actions, energy usage, material selection, human and ecosystem health, along with numerous other impacts, level addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives.

About BIFMA

BIFMA is the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMA’s role has been to sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. We also monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, interact with international counterparts, and advocate for regulatory conditions that foster value and innovation.

Contact:

Tom Reardon, Executive Director

BIFMA

678 Front Avenue, NW

Suite 150

Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Phone: 616-285-3963

Email: treardon@bifma.org

Website: www.bifma.org

Website: www.levelcertified.org

Developed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures, level is the label awarded to office furniture products that meet multiple criteria of the stringent, multi-attribute ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard. Earning the level mark requires validation by an approved third-party certification body.

level establishes measurable performance criteria to address environmental and social aspects of product manufacturing throughout the supply chain, including the areas of Materials, Energy and Atmosphere, Human and Ecosystem Health, and Social Responsibility. Choosing level certified products assures that the product is produced in an environmentally and socially conscious manner and comes from a responsible manufacturer.

Presently the program includes three conformance tiers, level 1, 2, and 3, each requiring specific prerequisites and conformance to optional credits. level 3 is the highest conformance tier under the current ANSI/BIFMA program. The level certification program allows facility managers, architects and designers to evaluate products using a ʻlevelʼ playing field, based upon the product and manufacturerʼs environmental and social impact.

“In todayʼs saturated green standard marketplace, we felt that it was important to establish a single, comparative sustainability standard that can be used by everyone; one that is transparent and holistic

news release

678 Front Avenue NW, Suite 150 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504-5368 Phone 616.285.3963 Fax 616.285.3765 www.bifma.org 1in addressing environmental and social responsibility issues. Independent 3rd party certification is key to the credibility and consistency of the level program. level provides a easy method to identify increasingly sustainable products,” said Tom Reardon, BIFMA Executive Director.

A complete list of certified products can be found at www.levelcertified.org ###

About BIFMAʼs level Certification Program

BIFMAʼs level is the multi-attribute sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the commercial furniture industry. BIFMA developed level to deliver an open and holistic means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. Taking into account a companyʼs social actions, energy usage, material selection, human and ecosystem health, along with numerous other impacts, level addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives.

About BIFMA

BIFMA is the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMAʼs role has been to sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. We also monitor the state of the industry, serve as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, interact with international counterparts, and advocate for regulatory conditions that foster value and innovation.

Contact:

Tom Reardon, Executive Director BIFMA 678 Front Avenue, NW Suite 150

Grand Rapids, MI 49504 Phone: 616-285-3963 Email: treardon@bifma.org Website: www.bifma.org Website: www.levelcertified.org

level™ certification is a multifaceted approach to sustainability certification. Based on the ANSI/BIFMA e3 standard, level™ is a third-party verification program that provides manufacturers with valuable resources for evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of their furniture products, company and processes. Under the level™ program, products and processes are evaluated based on criteria including: materials, use of energy, atmospheric impacts, human & ecosystem health, and social responsibility. Certification allows a manufacturer to ensure greater sustainability for their products and throughout their entire supply chain.

BIFMA Executive Director Tom Reardon stated, “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award. There are nearly 1000 products that have been level™ certified to date and the program is transforming our industry. We hope that customers are finding level™ to be a simple interface for grappling with the array of environmental and social impacts that need to be considered in the process of delivering increasingly sustainable products.”

A complete list of all certified products, certification bodies involved with the program, consultants available to assist manufacturers, and educational/training opportunities providing more indepth knowledge of the standard are all available at www.levelcertified.org.

ASID Award winners will be recognized at Celebration during ASID@NeoCon, an awards ceremony being held on June 13, 2011 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

About BIFMA: BIFMA is a not-for-profit organization that provides an effective forum for Members to cooperate and collaborate on appropriate industry issues. As an ANSI accredited standards developer BIFMA develops voluntary product and industry standards that support safe, healthy and sustainable work environments. BIFMA also publishes key industry statistics; advocates for legislation and government regulation that have a direct impact on the health of the industry; and facilitates meaningful dialog and education to support our core services and the industry.

About ASID: The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a community of people—designers, industry representatives, educators and students—committed to interior design. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design to positively change people’s lives. Its more than 36,000 members engage in a variety of professional programs and activities through a network of 48 chapters throughout the United States and Canada.  www.asid.org <http://www.asid.org/>  ASID is the Founding Sponsor of InformeDesign (www.informedesign.umn.edu), a searchable database that enables designers to engage in evidence-based design by using Research Summaries focused on design and human behavior, created and operated by the University of Minnesota.

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CONTACT

Brad Miller
T (616) 285-3963
E bmiller@bifma.org

level was created to deliver the most open and transparent means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products going into offices, institutions and other buildings. The level name and mark is awarded based on performance against a variety of sustainability assessment criteria.

Participants will learn of the credit requirements across four sections of level:

* Materials and Natural Resources

* Energy and Atmosphere

* Human and Ecosystem Health

* Social Responsibility

Presenters will also explain:

* What is the level standard?

* What is the impact on records and reports?

* How does it affect manufacturing, sourcing and productivity?

* How has it affected buying patterns?

This free webcast session will provide a thorough review and understanding of this multi-attribute standard and the level certification program.

Registration is FREE at this LINK.

PANELISTS:

Thomas M. Reardon, Executive Director, BIFMA

Mendy Claridge, Sustainable & Technical Product Solutions Manager National Office Furniture,

Kimball International

Vanessa Hartke, Director of Sales and Marketing First Office, LEED AP at OFS Brands, Inc.

Moderator:

Bill Esler, Editorial Director, Woodworking Network

Date: FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Time: 10:30am CT/11:30am ET