Research shows that the physical and social environments we live in have a major influence on our health and well-being. As we spend of our time spent indoors the material health of the products and flooring in our homes and workplaces play crucial roles.
Choosing products with low or no VOC emissions is, therefore, instrumental to prevent adverse impact on indoor air quality. To learn more about what VOCs are and where they come from click here.
How do we assess which products have lowest VOCs?
Most reputable manufacturers test and disclose the emissions of their interior products and flooring. In fact, in France it’s a legal requirement for all (non-inert) interiors products to have an emissions label. While CE marking of Flooring currently only requires declaration of the level of one specific VOC - Formaldehyde. However, there are proposals to include total VOC content in the future.
There is however a wide range of VOC Certifications, and technical specification sheets may state compliance with various low-emission VOC test standards including, California’s CDPH, Germany’s AgBB or European Union’s LCI emission standards, so it is helpful to know how these compare.
How To Understand Low VOC Flooring Certifications
These are the most common VOC certificates and associated tests for assessing VOC emissions of Flooring.
In addition to meeting the criteria for Total VOCs these test certification standards also have limits for specific individual VOCs for some of the more harmful chemicals such as Formaldehyde, or other known carcinogens.
All of the certifications meet the CDPH standards although only CRI Green Label Plus, Indoor Advantage Gold and FloorScore use the CDPH's standard method. Only GUT, TUV Proficert Premium and Indoor Air Comfort Gold comply with the stricter standards set by the AgBB and European Unions LCI.
How To Minimize VOC Emissions from Wet Finishes?
It’s also important to consider how the flooring will be installed, will adhesives and sealants be used in the process? Most liquid interiors products will state the level of VOC as part of their content label. However, this is different to the amount of VOC that will be emitted and at what rate. Looking for products with GEV Emicode label ensures full product transparency of VOC content and off-gassing rate.
The premium class EMICODE EC1 Plus defines the limit of what is technically feasible today. Introduced in 2010, it sets even higher and stricter limit values than category EC1.
The highest class EMICODE EC1 has proven itself over many years as a standard for products that are very low in VOC emissions. The materials awarded this label comply with very stringent health and environmental requirements.
Low emission products are awarded the EMICODE EC2 label. This class fulfils the basic requirements for being granted the EMICODE label.
The Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) and Total Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (TSVOC) emissions limits for each EMICODE® class are shown in the tables below.
Want to learn more about how GEV tests for VOCs and SVOCs and how they award certificates visit their website using the links.
Which Flooring “Green Labels” do these tests Support?
These tests form the basis of the emissions compliance element of a wide number of Eco labels
What are the VOC Requirements for Green Building Standard Credits?
BREEAM recognizes the importance of Indoor Air Quality. Credit HEA 02: Indoor air quality includes a number of approaches to manage harmful emissions. Up to 2 credits can be achieved for the specification of construction products and finishes that are certified as Low VOC. This includes floorings certified to GUT, Indoor Air Comfort Gold, TUV Proficert Premium, Floorscore, and wet finishes with EC1 Emicode label
LEED provides up to 4 credit for Low Emitting Materials within Materials and Resources. To ensure flooring qualifies products must meet LEED's "Low-emitting Criteria” or be inherently non-emitting, salvaged or re-used. To meet the low-emitting criteria products require certification testing in line with either the CDHP California standard or more stringent European tests such as IAC Gold / TUV Proficert Premium. Wet applied adhesives must also be compliant. LEED awards additional credits for Air Quality Testing and Monitoring within Indoor Environmental Quality. 1 credit is provided for testing the total VOC emissions.
WELL recognizes the importance of Indoor Air quality and on-site testing to strict air quality levels including VOC limits is one of the Pre Conditions of the Air concept. In addition, specific optimisation credits are available within the Materials Concept X06.2 for selecting low VOC emitting furniture, architectural and interiors products (including flooring) & X06.1 for limiting VOCs associated with wet applied products including flooring adhesives.
How Can You Ensure your flooring meets the best standards?
Carpets showing the GUT label and installation products with an EMICODE® EC1PLUS label meet the tightest standards in the flooring industry. Floorings tested to either TUV Premium standard or Eurofins IAC Gold and installation materials with an EMICODE® EC1 label meet the low VOC emissions standards, required for compliance to many other labels and the major Green Building standards such as WELL, LEED, BREEAM. So be sure your flooring and installation materials meet at least one of these certifications.
FAQs
What are VOCs?
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are substances that are readily vaporised at room temperature.
Benefits of low VOC flooring?
Selecting low VOC flooring helps to maintain good Indoor Air Quality which is associated with various health benefits.
How to select low VOC flooring?
Look for products certified as low VOC. Products with a GUT label meets the tightest standards followed by TUV Proficert Premium and Indoor Air Comfort Gold. All these labels are compliant with green building standards LEED, BREEAM and WELL.
How to select low VOC adhesives, wet finishes and sealants?
Adhesives wet finishes and sealant labelled with EMICODE® EC1 or EC1PLUS are considered very low VOC while products labelled EC2 are considered low VOC
What are the VOC requirements for WELL Building Standard?
The WELL Standard requires on-site testing of Indoor Air Quality including VOC emissions and suggests low VOC material selection of interior products, furnishings and wet finishes as an optimisation.
What are the VOC requirements for LEED?
To achieve maximum credits interior materials and wet applied products must be compliant with LEED's 'Low Emitting Criteria', GUT, TUV Proficert Premium, Indoor Air Comfort Gold, FloorScore, Indoor Advantage Gold and CRI Green Label Plus are all compliant. LEED also offers 1 credit for testing VOC emissions on site.
What are the VOC requirements for BREEAM?
BREEAM awards 2 credits for specifying construction products and finishes that are certified low VOC. Flooring certified to GUT, Indoor Air Comfort Gold, TUV Proficert Premium, Floorscore, and wet finishes with EC1 Emicode label are all compliant with BREEAM.
