24 Apr A Private-Label Precaution
Indoor-Air Quality Certification on original product does not automatically apply when that product is sold under a different name
More and more Natural Interiors visitors have been inquiring about flooring products that have names we don’t instantly recognize.
These are products from known manufacturers. But the retailer is offering the product under a private-label name.
This practice is common in the flooring industry, and the private-label product usually is of the same look and quality as the original. Nonetheless, third-party indoor-air quality certifications – such as FloorScore, GREENGUARD or CRI Green Label Plus – are not automatically transferable to the private-label name.
Even if the retailer says the original product has the certification, it does not provide assurance that the private-label product is certified to have met safety limits set for formaldehyde and other Volatile Organic Compounds.
FloorScore certification is administered by SCS Global; GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold by UL Environment; and, CRI Green Label Plus, by the Carpet and Rug Institute. Each has a process under which a manufacturer can register a private-label product, when the original product has been tested and 
certified. Without this registration, any claim that the private label has the certification is invalid, according to all three administrators.
If the private-label product you are considering is properly registered, the certifier will have a certificate on file under that product name. Ask your retailer to get you a copy.©
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