It’s About Time

04 Jun It’s About Time

Carpet padding can now be held to the same standard as carpet for indoor-air quality

At last, a moment many of us have been waiting for has arrived.  A testing program is now available for carpet padding that will actually ensure it does not emit unhealthful levels of chemicals.

A lot of people think we already have this through the CRI Green Label program for testing pad.  But the CRI Green Label Plus program that is used for carpet is far more stringent, and soon, we will be able to look for this label on carpet padding, too.

The Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) and the Carpet Cushion Council announced earlier this week that the Green Label Plus program is being opened up to pad manufacturers.

 “This offers cushion manufacturers the opportunity to qualify their products according to these more stringent standards and provide additional assurance for consumers concerned about indoor-air quality or potential VOC emissions,” a CRI spokesman told TalkFloor.

To get Green Label Plus certification, a product cannot exceed safety limits set for 13 VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) commonly emitted from carpet.

Until now, carpet pad has not been held to the same standard, and it is something you most likely will need to install under your carpet. For padding, CRI has offered the CRI Green Label (no Plus).  The emission testing includes a limit for Total VOCs and limits for three specific VOCs. One of those is formaldehyde, known to cause cancer. That limit is 50 micrograms per square meter, compared to 30 micrograms per square meter under the CRI Green Label Plus certification. (You can view all limits at www.carpet-rug.org)

Since CRI started its Green Label testing, the limits for carpet have been made more stringent four times, and those who meet them qualify for Green Label Plus. This has been possible  because the carpet manufacturers have been able to reduce the amount of chemicals in their products.

So, some of us have thought carpet pad simply could not meet the more stringent limits, though until now, CRI representatives have simply said there was no demand for this label on carpet pad.

Whatever the reason, I am glad there is now. ©