LEESBURG, VA — The Composite Panel Assn. announced in May that it has expanded its Eco-Certified Composite (ECC) Sustainability Standard to include value-added products. Since then approximately 80% of North American composite panel production is already compliant, and the ECC voluntary standard has now entered the second phase.

According to the association, the new Part B in the standard “provides for the certification of value added products such as furniture, cabinets, laminated panels and components. Part A of the Standard, approved last fall, delineates the requirements for unfinished composite panels and is unchanged except for editorial refinements.”

The ECC voluntary standard replaced the group’s previous Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) designation, which phased out earlier this year. According to CPA, the ECC Grademark Program provides independent certification of environmental attributes, using a “CPA Carbon Calculator” to assess the life cycle and carbon footprint of the composite panels. Products designated with the ECC mark must contain at least 50 percent ECC composite wood. Finished products carrying the ECC mark must contain composite wood, using at least 95 percent eco-certified panels.

For more information on the CPA's ECC standard click here.