ARCHBOLD, OH – The WoodTrac Ceiling Systems by Sauder Woodwork has been awarded Eco-Certified Composite (EEC) Certification by the Composite Panel Association (CPA).

The ECC is a voluntary industry standard for composite wood panels and finished products made with particleboard, MDF, hardboard, and engineered wood siding and trim.

To qualify for the certification, the product must meet at least three of the following  five ECC Standards:

• Carbon Footprint – The manufacturing plant must demonstrate that the panel’s carbon store offsets its carbon footprint cradle-to-gate as determined in kg-CO2 equivalents of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Each plant must use the “CPA Carbon Calculator” to determine if its panels perform as a carbon sink resulting in overall net carbon storage.

• Local and Renewable Resource – At least 85 percent of wood fiber must be sourced within 250 miles of the panel plant.

• Recycled/Recovered– The product must use at least 75 percent recycled or recovered wood fiber or use at least 50 percent recycled or recovered wood fiber, plus a minimum of five percent post-consumer wood fiber.

• Sustainability – At least 97 percent wood fiber furnish is converted to panels or re-utilized as a valued product. Non-valued products include wood residuals shipped to a landfill, material hauled away for a tipping fee as waste material, and boiler ash waste.

•Wood Sourcing – Conformity with FSC Controlled Wood Standard (2008); FSC Chain of Custody Standard (2008); or SFI Fiber Sourcing Requirements (2011).

The Composite Panel Association launched the Eco-Certified Composite (ECC) Sustainability Standard and Certification Program for producers and users of composite panels. The ECC voluntary standard replaces the group’s previous Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) designation.