ANN ARBOR, Mich. – NSF International, an independent organization that protects human health and the environment, has promoted Tom Bruursema to General Manager of NSF Sustainability.

In this role, Bruursema will lead the growing portfolio of NSF Sustainability services that assists organizations in greening their products, operations, systems and supply chains. These services include standards development through the National Center for Sustainability Standards founded by NSF International in 2010. NSF develops life-cycle based, multi-attribute sustainability standards for green products and services, including building products and materials, furniture, carpet and flooring, fabrics, wallcoverings, roofing membranes, green chemicals, and water and wastewater infrastructure.

Additional services through NSF Sustainability include environmental claims testing and verification; certification of green products such as water systems, consumer products, chemicals and construction and building products; and process verification services such as greenhouse gas verification, e-waste recycling certification, environmental footprinting and other environmental management systems registrations.

Bruursema has 25 years of experience in the fields of sustainability, environmental technology and water systems. Prior to his new appointment, Bruursema managed the NSF testing and certification program for onsite wastewater treatment technologies. In this position, he led the development of the American National Standards for water reuse treatment technologies, which are crucial for regions affected by increasing water scarcity.

Bruursema also led the NSF Drinking Water Treatment Units Certification Program, as well as NSF’s Environmental and Research Services, which have developed evaluation methods (protocols) for a wide range of innovative products and environmental technologies. These include protocols for evaluating Rainwater Catchment Systems, Composting Toilets, and Eco-Efficiency Analyses used to quantify the environmental and economic performance of products and processes. Additionally, Bruursema helped launch other environmental services including a testing program that verifies biodegradability and compostability claims of plastic products.

Earlier this year, NSF Sustainability launched certification programs for on-site residential and commercial water reuse technologies, sustainable roofing membranes and sustainable commercial furnishings fabrics. These new programs complement existing NSF certification programs for sustainable building products and materials; sustainable furniture, carpet, flooring and wallcoverings; green chemicals and drinking water quality. Bruursema also will lead new services debuting later this year, including a certification program that standardizes chemical data reporting, which will help chemical purchasers select products that are less hazardous to human and environmental health by facilitating direct comparisons between different chemicals and suppliers.

“Tom’s considerable experience in developing science-based evaluation programs for water and environmental technologies and processes will help companies reach new levels of sustainability, demonstrating their environmental stewardship to their stakeholders and customers, and setting them apart from their competition,” said Kevan P. Lawlor, President and CEO, NSF International. “Tom is a proven leader who is strongly committed to protecting and improving public health and the environment and will help drive new services that assist companies in developing more sustainable products and operations.”

Bruursema holds a Master of Science degree in biology and a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from Eastern Michigan University. In addition to his NSF role, Bruursema serves as Chair of the Water Quality Association (WQA) International Standards and Regulations Task Force and is a former Board Member of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA).

About NSF International (NSF): NSF International (nsf.org) has been testing and certifying products for safety, health and the environment since 1944. As an independent public health and safety organization, NSF’s mission is to protect human health and the environment through standards development, inspection, testing and certification for the food, water, build/construction, retail, consumer products, chemical and health science industries. Operating in more than 120 countries, NSF is committed to protecting human health worldwide and is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. NSF Sustainability draws upon this expertise in standards development, product assurance and certification to help companies green their products, operations, systems and supply chains. NSF also founded the National Center of Sustainability Standards, a national initiative to support the development of sustainability standard activities.

Additional NSF services include NSF Education and Training, safety audits for the food and water industries, organic certification provided by QAI (Quality Assurance International) and management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR).

SOURCE: NSF International.