Eco-Labels 101

Thanks to our friends at Inhabitat.com for enlightening their readers as to the mechanics behind the ever-evolving list of green certifications out there. See their excerpt below for explanations:

FSC CERTIFIED (Forest Stewardship Council) – This certification accredits forest managers, manufacturing companies, and controlled wood products that exhibit responsible consumption of forest products. FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization and the certification is completely voluntary. (Schutte Lumber uses FSC-Certified wood!)

SCS CERTIFIED calCOMPLIANT – Specifically focused on composite wood products, this label verifies that standards set by the California Air Resources Board are being met. Compliance requires that the producers or plywood, particleboard, MDF, and other composite products meet the limits for formaldehyde emissions.

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED – This certification body has a variety of verification services for wood products under their SmartWood program. This program includes the FSC Certification standard, but has other specific compliance categories that concern supply chains, carbon validation, reclaimed and recycled wood, and logging.

PROCESSED CHLORINE FREE & TOTALLY CHLORINE FREE – These accreditations from the not-for-profit Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA) are meant to distinguish paper products that do not use chlorine or chlorine compounds in the processing. Chlorine-free processing can aid in keeping rivers and water supplies clean. The Processed Chlorine Free label is reserved for recycled content paper with at least 30% post consumer content.