GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Furniture manufacturers will find the latest Furniture Sustainability Standard, ANSI/BIFMA e3-2012. adds a point for furniture products that meet a new, lower formaldehyde emissions limit.

The e3 Standard is a structured methodology to evaluate the environmental and social attributes of furniture products. Developed by the Business & Institutional Furmiture Manufacturers Association, BIFMA, it forms the technical criteria of the level® product certification program.

“This new revision further strengthens the health basis of e3 by incorporating the most stringent formaldehyde emissions limit established by the State of California Department of Public Health,” said Randy Carter, manager, global codes and approvals at Steelcase. Carter chairs the BIFMA committee  on furniture emissions. 

Modeled after the LEED rating system, the e3 standard behind level® is a system for tracking  accumulated points in furnishings, ultimately contributing toward attaining a LEED score. Obtain copies of the standard from BIFMA.