News & Press: News

level® Recognized as USGBC Approved Program for MR Credit

Monday, March 7, 2016  
Posted by: Nicole Cook

March 3, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CONTACT: Nicole Cook
616-285-3963 ext. 19

E-mail:
ncook@bifma.org

 

level® Recognized as USGBC Approved Program for MR Credit

 

Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Steering Committee has approved the level® Certification Program as a “USGBC Approved Program” for the LEED v4 Material & Resource, Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (Option 1) credit.

level-certified products achieving Credit 7.5.1.3 of the ANSI-BIFMA e3-2014 Furniture Sustainability Standard (and Credit 7.4.1.3 in the 2012 version) will qualify once the announcement is published on April 1. This represents another step forward in our ongoing pursuit of overall recognition of level within the LEED rating system. Along with this achievement, LEED and its Pilot Credits currently reference BIFMA standards and credits for emissions, ergonomics, social equity within the supply chain, and environmentally preferable interior furnishings.

Work is presently underway on the next version of the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard that will allow even greater alignment with LEED and other leading programs. To participate in the current update to this standard, interested parties should contact Kianda Franklin of NSF or Brad Miller of BIFMA to learn more about the process and opportunities for involvement.

 

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About BIFMA

BIFMA is the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMA has been the voice of the commercial furniture industry.

Our industry’s service to our customers – providing healthy, comfortable, and productive workspaces – rests on an infrastructure of engineering and materials standards. These standards, founded on centuries of craft and enhanced by ever-advancing science, embody the best of our knowledge on safety, ergonomics, and sustainability.

At BIFMA, we sponsor the development and refining of standards, explain 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.