ProSource Scores Floors

Top southwest Ohio flooring retailers end confusion over conflicting “green” claims with Natural Interiors® Scorecards

Sixty-seven percent of the hardwood flooring lines sold at ProSource® Wholesale Floorcoverings in Cincinnati, OH, have been tested and independently certified to meet healthy indoor-air quality standards.

Eighty-seven percent are from companies that have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification or meet other sustainability standards.

Scorecards showing these certifications for each product are now available at the ProSource® Natural Interiors® Design Center kiosk.  They include all products sold in the store — from laminate to tile, linoleum, cork and even vinyl.

“We do get questions about product chemicals and indoor-air quality, so we want our customers to have the verification they are looking for,” said Troy Haas, store manager. “Of course, the program also provides sustainability information, so customers can see if a product is better for the planet, too.”

The new Natural Interiors® Design Center program has been licensed exclusively in southern Ohio by ProSource® in Cincinnati, Buddy’s in Beavercreek, OH, and Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Milford, OH. The program’s scorecards, which use Better for People and Better for the Planet icons, list indoor-air quality and planet-friendly attributes for each product. Check marks appear in the icons if the product has achieved a third-party scientific certification, verifying that it meets set limits for chemical emissions or planet-friendly sustainability standards.

The scorecards also make it easy to compare competing claims among “green” products. For example,  cork manufacturers all point out that their products are made of a renewable resource. But cork also contains adhesives, which can emit formaldehyde and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and just 50 percent of the products on the scorecard have third-party certifications for meeting set indoor-air quality standards. Sixty percent of the bamboo flooring brands, which also contain adhesives, have indoor-air quality certifications.

“Being able to give our clients this information is a natural extension for ProSource® because we have offered the latest in ‘green’ products for the past decade,” said Mike Smith, ProSource ®account manager. “We have even expanded our collection to include natural carpet and wall coverings like hemp, coconut shells, leather and cork. And we have all the scorecard information for these, too.”

Standards shown on the scorecards for products that have indoor- air quality certifications include GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification, FloorScore Certification, CRI Green Label Plus and compliance with the most stringent indoor- air quality standards set by the state of California. A product’s planet –friendly benefits also are shown on the scorecards through certifications that range from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to multi-attribute lifecycle assessment certifications such as Cradle to Cradle.

The kiosks also include a complete glossary that explains each standard and certification.

“ProSource® Cincinnati has always been a leader in ‘green’ products so  it makes sense that they would maintain that position by giving customers the product verification they want,” said Nancy Kibbee, marketing director for Natural Interiors® programs. “Having this information ends the confusion that has been created by competing and conflicting claims about who has the best ‘green’ products.”©

ProSource is located at 11489 Enterprise Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45241. (513) 772-7726. You may also email technical questions about the scorecards to contact@naturalinteriors.com or call Natural Interiors at (513) 984-9472.