MRO001_Mandatory Environmental Specifications and Desirable Criteria Amendment V3 04.02.2025.docx

Attachment A: Mandatory Environmental Specifications and Desirable Environmental Criteria Contents

A. Environmental Specifications for Both Carpet and Hard Surface Flooring It is the intent of this RFR for buyers to purchase safer products as outlined in the table below. There may be other types of flooring that have not been included in this table but would need to adhere to the specifications in this document.

The following mandatory and desirable environmental and health specifications include the following:

Mandatory Specifications

1. Environmental and health product declarations All floor coverings must have the following certifications:

a. Environmental Product Declaration (EPD): An EPD is a Type III environmental declaration for Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) that provides environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycles and is verified by either UL Environment or accredited by ISO14025 and EN15804 and independently verified by a third party. These may be found on the manufacturer’s website, or other websites such as Ecomedes which is a third-party verification aggregator.

b. Health Product Declaration (HPD): An HPD is a standardized and consistent format for reporting product contents and associated health information that uses the HPD Open-Source Standard. Products may be verified through the HPD Collaborative or via other third-party verification aggregators such as Ecomedes.

2. Materials and chemicals of concern

a. All floor coverings must be free of:

· Tire-derived recycled rubber

· Coal fly ash

· Latex

· Bitumen resin

· Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or “vinyl”) (except for the limited use of vinyl as set forth herein in sections A3 (Chemicals of Concern Exemption) and subsection 2B of the Additional Environmental Specifications for Hard Surface Flooring (regarding luxury vinyl tile)).

b. All floor coverings must not contain any intentionally added:

· Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

· Brominated or chlorinated (i.e., halogenated) flame retardants

· Antimicrobial surface treatments or materials

c. All floor coverings must not have a Proposition 65 warning, which means it contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

3. Chemicals of Concern Exemption- Products containing Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or “vinyl”) may be used for the maintenance or repair of areas already composed of such materials, provided that the maintenance or repair does not exceed 40% of the total surface area of the project. In cases where the material or product replacement encompasses 40% or more of the surface area, the project shall be classified as a removal and new installation. Under such circumstances, all newly installed products must comply with the Mandatory Environmental Specifications and Desirable Environmental Criteria as set forth in the RFR.

4. Materials disclosure The primary type of material must be disclosed to facilitate recycling at the end of its useful life. For carpet, this includes the face fiber and backing.

Additional Environmental Specifications for Carpeting Mandatory Specifications

1. Certifications/standards for chemical off-gassing/emissions All broadloom and carpet tile should have at least one of the following third-party certifications, or an equivalent. An “equivalent” means it must comply with the most recent California Department of Public Health Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical (VOCs) Emissions from Indoor Sources (California Specification 01350). All certifications must be listed on the price sheet:

· Declare LBC Red List Free

· Greenhealth Approved

· Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label Plus

· SCS Indoor Advantage Gold

· UL GREENGUARD GOLD

2. Carpet coloring process:

The carpet must be solution-dyed (i.e., uses a manufacturing process where colored dye is thoroughly mixed into the liquid fiber solution before fibers are extruded).

Desirable Criteria Recycled content It is desirable for carpet to have at least 25% post-consumer recycled content (PCRC), preferably verified by GreenCircle, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), UL, or another third-party certifier.

Additional Environmental Specifications for Hard Surface Flooring Mandatory Specifications

1. Certifications/standards for chemical off-gassing/emissions All hard surface flooring should have at least one of the following third-party certifications, or an equivalent. An “equivalent” means it must comply with the most recent California Department of Public Health Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical (VOCs) Emissions from Indoor Sources (California Specification 01350). All certifications must be listed on the price sheet:

· Declare LBC Red List Free

· Greenhealth Approved

· Assure Certified

· SCS Indoor Advantage Gold

· UL GREENGUARD GOLD

2. Other Disclosures and Certification

a. The following must also be disclosed on the price sheet for hard surface flooring:

1. Chemicals of concern: whether the product is formaldehyde-free, verified by SCS, UL, or another third-party certifier.

2. Sustainable forest management (for bamboo and wood products only): whether the product has a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, or equivalent.

b. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT): which contains Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or “vinyl”) may be provided, subject to the approval of the SST. Contractors must disclose the use of such materials consistent with the terms of this RFR. If Bidders intend to offer LVT under this RFR, Bidders must list LVT on their price sheets and include all third party-certifications and standards, HPDs, and/or EPDs satisfactory to the Commonwealth Category Manager. The SST will determine the criteria for the inclusion of LVT on this Statewide Contract, and will determine whether to approve, in their sole discretion, these products for inclusion in this contract.

Desirable Criteria

1. Other Certifications It is desirable for hard surface flooring to have the following certifications, disclosed on the price sheet:

a. Chemicals of concern be formaldehyde-free, verified by SCS, UL, or another third-party certifier.

b. Sustainable forest management (for bamboo and wood products only): have a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, or equivalent.

2. Recycled content It is desirable for hard surface flooring to have at least 25% post-consumer recycled content (PCRC) (including reclaimed wood, rubber, etc.), preferably verified by GreenCircle, SCS, UL, or another third-party certifier, disclosed on the price sheet.

B. Environmental Specifications for Flooring Adhesives Mandatory Specifications

1. Certifications/standards for chemical off-gassing/emissions All broadloom and carpet tile should have at least one of the following third-party certifications, or an equivalent. An “equivalent” means it must comply with the most recent California Department of Public Health Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical (VOCs) Emissions from Indoor Sources (California Specification 01350). All certifications must be listed on the price sheet:

· Declare LBC Red List Free

· SCS FloorScore

· UL GREENGUARD GOLD

c. Be on the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1168 “Compliant” List, which includes products that typically have 50 grams/liter (g/l) of VOCs or less or are relatively low emitting compared to other products in their category.

2. Other Certification Disclosure The following must also be disclosed on the price sheet for flooring adhesives:

· if product is formaldehyde-free, verified by SCS, UL, or another third-party certifier.

· if product contains per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

· if product has a Prop 65 warning, indicating that it includes chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm

· if product is in an aerosol container Desirable Criteria

1. Environmental and health product declaration It is desirable that flooring adhesives have a third party-verified health product declaration (HPD) or environmental product declaration (EPD) (i.e., Type III), disclosed on the price sheet.

2. Chemicals of concern Disclose the following on the price sheet:

· It is desirable for flooring adhesives be free of PFAS

· It is desirable for the product not to have a Prop 65 warning

3. Aerosol It is desirable that the product is not in an aerosol container and is disclosed on the price sheet.

C. Environmental Specifications for Carpet Cushion Mandatory Specifications

1. Certifications/standards for chemical off-gassing/emissions Carpet cushion should have at least one of the following third-party certifications or an equivalent, and all certifications must be disclosed on the price sheet:

· Declare LBC Red List Free

· Greenhealth Approved

· SCS FloorScore

· UL GREENGUARD GOLD

2. Environmental and health declaration It is desirable for carpet cushion to have a third party-verified health product declaration (HPD) or environmental product declaration (EPD) (i.e., Type III), disclosed on the price sheet.

Desirable Criteria Recycled content It is desirable for carpet cushion to meet the minimum recycled-content Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines established by the US EPA, disclosed on the price sheet the percent recycled content.

D. List of Multi-Attribute Standards and Single-Attribute Certifications

Assure Certified ASSURE Certified, is a new certification from SCS Global Services and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), that establishes uniform quality for SPC and WPC Rigid Core luxury vinyl flooring regardless of where it is manufactured. Certification to the ASSURE CERTIFIED standard provides verification that the flooring product meets all the ASSURE CERTIFIED requirements for indoor air quality, rigorous performance, and low heavy metals & ortho-phthalates content.

Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label Plus (carpet only) Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label Plus is a certification program administered by the Carpet and Rug Institute, an industry trade association. CRI’s Green Label Plus program certifies carpet, carpet cushion, and carpet adhesives that are low emitting. Similar to other low-emitting standards, CRI Green Label Plus certified products pass California’s 03150 emissions test.

Cradle to Cradle Certified Cradle to Cradle Certified, maintained by the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute, certifies a wide array of institutional and consumer products based on multiple environmental, health, and social criteria using a tiered rating system. The current version of their standard (V4.0) includes five categories of sustainability criteria: (1) Material Health, (2) Product Circularity, (3) Clean Air and Climate Protection, (4) Water and Soil Stewardship, and (5) Social Fairness. A product’s overall certification level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum) is equal to the product’s lowest category achievement level. Cradle to Cradle Certified at the Silver and higher levels are often specified as requirements in bid documents because restrictions on chemicals of concern are only included in those tiers.

Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate Products can earn a Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate either on its own or in addition to being Cradle to Cradle Certified (see above) to provide more information about chemicals used. This certificate is based on the assessment methodology in the Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Product Standard for the Material Health category only, and it verifies that chemicals and materials used in the product prioritize the protection of human health and the environment.

Declare LBC Red List Free Declare is a health product declaration (HPD) developed and maintained by the nonprofit International Living Future Foundation (ILFI). Products with a Declare label disclose all intentionally added ingredients and residuals at or above 100ppm (0.01%) present in the final product by weight. In addition to ingredient disclosure, Declare LBC Red List Free products do not contain any Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List chemicals, which are the “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem that are prevalent in the building products industry. Verification by a third party is optional – ILFI’s online directory has filters to sort for products that are Declare LBC Red List Free and third-party verified.

Greenhealth Approved The Greenhealth Approved seal signals to purchasers that a product has been reviewed to meet sustainability criteria developed by Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. The criteria include the elimination of five classes of chemicals of concern: formaldehyde, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), antimicrobials, and all flame retardants.

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) The FSC has developed a set of Principles and Criteria for forest management that is applicable to all FSC-certified forests throughout the world. There are 10 Principles and 57 Criteria that address legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts surrounding forest management.

NSF/ANSI 140 Gold or Higher (carpet only) Manufacturers can achieve NSF/ANSI 140 certification for their products by meeting prerequisites and earning credits in five categories: public health and environment, energy and energy efficiency, manufacturing, reclamation and end-of-life management, and bio-based content, recycled content, and environmentally preferable product materials. NSF/ANSI 140 has three levels – Silver, Gold, and Platinum. However, all products that are currently certified are at the Gold or Platinum level, so we set the required minimum at the Gold level.

SCS FloorScore (hard surface flooring only) FloorScore is a certification program developed by the nonprofit Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. It certifies hard surface flooring materials, adhesives, and underlayment that are low emitting based on the CA 01350 emissions test. SCS also prohibits methylene chloride and perchloroethylene in its FloorScore-certified products. FloorScore-certified products can be found in the SCS Green Products Guide.

SCS Indoor Advantage Gold Indoor Advantage is a two-tiered, single-attribute certification program administered by the nonprofit Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) for low-emitting furniture and building materials. Since products certified to the higher tier Indoor Air Advantage Gold standard are considered low emitting based on the CA 01350 emissions test, only Indoor Advantage Gold products are recommended in the specifications. Indoor Advantage Gold-certified products can be found in the SCS Green Products Guide.

UL GREENGUARD GOLD

UL GREENGUARD is a two-tiered, single-attribute certification program that is administered by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for low-emitting products such as adhesives, carpets, cleaners, flooring, furniture, paints, and sealants. Products are certified by UL under the GREENGUARD – and/or the stronger UL GREENGUARD Gold – standard. Products certified UL GREENGUARD Gold pass the CA 01350 emissions test materials standard detailed in UL 2818: 2013 Gold Standard for Chemical Emissions for Building Materials and Furnishings. UL GREENGUARD-certified products are listed in the UL SPOT database. (Note: Since most UL GREENGUARD-certified products also meet UL GREENGUARD Gold, only the stronger UL GREENGUARD Gold standard is recommended in the specifications.)

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