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GREEN PRODUCTS: early childhood a closer look at buying safe & smart! a buyer’s

GREEN PRODUCTS: early childhood a closer look at buying safe & smart! a buyer’s guide 2 PRODUCT SAFETY ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS Educated Today for Safer Learning Tomorrow Child Safety is top priority in any and every learning environment and it starts with those making purchasing decisions. Parents put their child’s safety in the hands of both educators and schools, making it more crucial than ever that educators are aware and educated about industry safety standards and recent federal laws that have been passed to protect children. Being familiar with government imposed safety standards can increase buyer awareness; thus ensuring children are learning with the highest quality and saf- est products available. Become educated today for safer learning tomorrow. be familiar with government imposed safety standards 3 PRODUCT SAFETY Child Safety: the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) I n a strong effort to further protect and cre- ate awareness amongst today’s child prod- ucts consumers, the U.S. government passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA- HR4040) under the Bush presidency in 2008. This federal law targets consumer products used by children under 12-years old and was placed in effect to: • Improve Product Safety • Increase Manufacturer Accountability • Enhance Data & Record Keeping The CPSIA protects children by limiting total lead content (by weight) within a child product’s material composition, substrate(s) and paint or surface coatings. Manufacturers, importers, distribu- tors and retailers of children’s products are all subject to the same stringent guidelines and regulations: Total lead content must be under 300 parts per million (ppm) and under 100 ppm by August of 2011. Paint or Surface Coating lead content must be under 90 ppm Phthalate (industrial chemicals used to make plastics) concentrations must be under 0.1% Toy Safety Standard, ASTM F963-07 is mandatory and third party testing reports are required for proof of compliance Only Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) accredited 3rd party, independent laboratories can issue authorized testing reports German TUV Rheinland Group Laboratory C PSIA certiﬁ ed products must be tested at a 3rd party, independent laboratory that is CPSC certiﬁ ed. Without CPSC certiﬁ - cation, a laboratory’s testing documents are not deemed credible nor will they be accepted as compliable evidence for the CPSIA federal safety law. Industry leading manufacturers turn to the same laboratory for product testing and with over 140 years of company history and in- dustrial experiences, German TUV Rheinland Laboratory is the larg- est and most credible independent testing laboratory in the world. Having one of the most comprehensively equipped United King- dom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited facilities in Europe; TUV is recognized for independently testing and certifying prod- uct compliance for a diverse range of international standards. TUV Laboratory currently holds over 100 accreditations and approvals to its resume. Ask your current or future supplier(s) which 3rd party, independent laboratory they use for product testing and whether it’s CPSC certi- ﬁ ed. If it is not or they are not certain, the testing documents they provide their customers are illegitimate and not recognized by the federal government. phthalate <0.1% ASTM F963-07 CPSC approved look for this logo to guarantee product safety 4 PRODUCT SAFETY ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS Know Your Suppliers I n today’s market, saving money on any purchase is always the ideal situation and outcome. However, at what and who’s cost are you willing to save and purchase furniture from discounted vendors? Saving a few dollars on today’s furniture purchase may have adverse effects on a child’s long-term health and well-being. Be familiar with the supplier whom you are using to furnish your classroom to ensure their full compliance with all federal safety laws and regulations. Discounted vendors are able to offer products at industry low prices because they do not sustain expensive labora- tory testing fees nor set up costs of quality management systems at their manufacturing facilities. Keep in mind that not all companies will actively list their products’ compliance with federal laws and should be questioned and/or avoided entirely! Stay alert and ask your supplier if they: • Are aware of and comply with the CPSIA HR4040? • Can provide sufﬁ cient and acceptable proof of law compliance? • Meet the standards of accredited third party testing laboratories and if so, can they provide testing report numbers for tracking purposes? If they cannot provide you sufﬁ cient answers or documentation to any of the questions above or if they are unsure, stop purchas- ing from them immediately! Any company that fails to provide le- gitimate laboratory testing reports will be prohibited from importing and/or selling their products in the U.S. market, thus affecting you and your children directly! Conduct the necessary research to better educate yourself about potential suppliers because when furnishing your classrooms, you aren’t investing in only your classroom but child safety. Ready. Educated. Go! Be conﬁ dent that a company meeting the CPSIA HR4040 regulation guarantees their furniture products are child safe and suitable for your home or classroom. They promise that the products being offered possess legally limited lead content, pro- moting safe and healthy learning! Next time you’re ready to purchase early childhood furniture products for your home or classroom, use this simple check off list to make sure your products are SAFE! Check for CPSIA HR4040 conformity Request General Certiﬁ cates of Conformity (GCC) as proof of 3rd party, independent laboratory testing Conﬁ rm the laboratory is CPSC certiﬁ ed and that tracking information is available for traceable documentation be familiar with the supplier whom you are using Educated decisions are great decisions 5 WHAT’S GREEN? Green and You W hat makes a product Green? How can you determine whether or not it’s truly making a difference today for a healthier tomorrow? Although there are no ﬁ rm classiﬁ ca- tions for Green products, they are generally viewed as a product that: Saves Energy Conserves Water Contributes to a Safe, Healthy Indoor Environment Protects Natural Resources Reduces a Buildings’ Impact on the Community A Green product doesn’t have to meet every ideology as any and every contribution, big or small, helps preserve the planet. Being able to identify Green products is the ﬁ rst step in making a difference and now that you know, it’s time to start searching for these products. Making the Grass Greener on YOUR Side Quality and Affordability have always been two of the most inﬂ uential factors when it comes to purchasing early childhood furniture. However, with earth’s natural resources decreasing at an alarming rate, enters the third and most responsible factor: Green. Everyone needs to take part in keeping the planet healthy but before they can do so, they need to be aware of what buying Green products entails and how it affects them directly. Without knowing the advantages of Green products, consumers cannot take complete advantage of its long- term effects both at home and in the classroom. Vendors and consumers need to work together in a Green global effort to manufac- ture and purchase products that are not only high in quality and affordability but also environmentally friendly and responsible! be aware of how GREEN products affect you 6 ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS Going Green Guide Products manufactured from non-CARB certiﬁ ed boards normally contain higher formaldehyde and VOCs that can cause: • Cancer • Conjunctival Irritation • Liver and Kidney Damage • Harm to the Central Nervous System and Loss of Coordination Products manufactured from CARB certiﬁ ed board helps minimize health hazards to human bodies, but also promotes: • Reduced formaldehyde emissions into the air and classroom environments • Healthier and cleaner air quality • Minimizes harmful, VOC content • Reduction in VOCs directly decreases ozone by-products which cause pulmonary disease agitation and increased rates of asthma attacks Recyclable Woods: Green furniture is not only produced from Green mate- rials but can also be turned into them! Products that can be easily disassembled at the end of its use can be recycled as well, allowing its valuable content to be used towards the production of a new product. Buying Green products is easier said than done but by doing the necessary research and homework, one can identify different product attributes, material compositions and production methods to determine which contributions are being made to preserve the environment. Here are some helpful product characteristics and certiﬁ cations to look for when deciding your next purchase of Green early childhood educational furniture: Eco-Friendly Materials F urniture materials and production methods often contribute to or deter the Green effort but probe deeper and the product’s component composition can further disclose how Green the product really is. FSC Certiﬁ ed Woods: Make sure the product is made from Forest Steward- ship Council (FSC) approved lumbers. Products car- rying the FSC logo are independently certiﬁ ed to guar- antee consumers: • Woods used during production originate and are responsibly harvested from managed forests • Forests are being maintained and their precious eco-systems preserved • Harvesting sources are veriﬁ ed to meet the social, economic, and ecological needs of uploads/Geographie/ early-childhood-a-buyer-x27-s-guide.pdf