Standards and certifications

PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS & LABELS

The Scientific and Technical Centre for Building’s UPEC classification (based on wear, indentation, water and chemicals) divides buildings into 11 categories and within each of them defines, for each room type, the required technical specifications for floor coverings to ensure adequate durability of these coverings (a minimum of 10 years for normal use with appropriate cleaning). The QB UPEC certification (or QB UPEC A+ for acoustic products) awarded by CSTB attests that a manufacturer’s products comply with the product standards and technical specifications for the rooms in which the manufacturer intends for them to be used.

Our actions

All our glue-down professional PVC products are certified QB UPEC, or QB UPEC A+ for our acoustic products.

Know more

Cradle to Cradle is a particularly stringent international certification that assesses products based on 5 types of criteria related to sustainable development: material health or toxicity of materials used; material reuse in a biological or technical cycle; use of renewable energies and carbon management; water stewardship or management; and social fairness or corporate responsibility.

Our actions

Cradle to Cradle certification of other Gerflor products is in progress. DLW Linoleum is Cradle to Cradle certifiedTM Silver.

Know more

Blue Angel

What is it?

Similar but more demanding than AgBB, this German evaluation procedure measures VOC emissions after 3 and 28 days:

• after 3 days: limit values for TVOC, carcinogenic VOC
• after 28 days: of VOC

Our actions

Gerflor product ranges VOC emissions comply with the Blue Angel requirements. But our products can not have the Blue Angel certification as Blue Angel excludes vinyl products.

Know more

M1

What is it?

Finland evaluation procedure: after 28 days, TVOC, formaldehyde, ammoniac, carcinogenic and sensory evaluation.

Our actions

Gerflor products comply with M1 requirements. We have got some products M1 certified but have not done. it for all our products.

Know more

An American certification system based on the California “Section 01350” for VOC emission evaluation, specific to floor coverings. This evaluation procedure measures emissions after 11, 12 and 14 days: limit values for TVOCs and aldehydes. It is the most recognized system in the world and the best way to approve a product in terms of VOC emissions, based on LEED™ certification.

Every year Floorscore requires:

• On-site inspection based on ISO9001 certification
• VOC emissions measurement by an external laboratory

Our actions

Gerflor floors are Floorscore certified. Using exclusively Gerflor products in a given project can score 1 point according to the LEED™ credit system for a low-emitting flooring system.

Know more

BUILDING CERTIFICATION

All Gerflor products can contribute to environmental building certification, their contribution varying depending on product characteristics and the technologies used.  

LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a renowned international green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

There are different types of LEED™ certification:

• Homes
• Neighbourhoods
• Commercial interiors
• Core structure and shell
• New construction and major renovation
• Schools, health, retail

How can flooring contribute to LEED™ certification?

EQUIPMENT AND RESOURCES

• Credit 4: Recycled content
• Credit 5: Locally sourced materials
• Credit 6: Rapidly renewable materials
• Credit 7: Certified wood

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

• Credit 4.2: Low-emitting materials - Paints and coatings
• Credit 4.2: Low-emitting materials - Paints and coatings
• Credit 4.3: Low-emitting materials - Flooring systems

Our actions

Gerflor products can provide up to 3 points towards LEED™ certification:

• Low VOC-emitting products, Floorscore certified
• Products containing recycled materials
• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certified by a third party
• Health Product Declaration (HPD)

Know more

In France, the HQE High Environmental Quality standard is a global approach specifying criteria for buildings to “manage impacts on the outdoor environment and create a pleasant and healthy indoor environment”.

HQE specifies 14 targets, 7 of which relate to flooring:

ECO-CONSTRUCTION

• Target 2: integrated choice of products and building materials

COMFORT

• Target 8: hygrometric comfort
• Target 9: acoustic comfort
• Target 10: visual comfort
• Target 11: olfactory comfort

HEALTH

• Target 12: sanitary conditions of indoor spaces
• Target 13: air quality

For detailed and personalised information, please contact your Gerflor Sales Advisor.

Our actions

Contribution to HQE certification:

• EHPD for each product range
• Low VOC emissions
• Products containing recycled materials
• High quality coverings: technical, fire behaviour, design, installation over underfloor heating system.

Know more