BioFit Industrial Seating Now LEED® Compliant Specifiers of Company’s Products Now Qualify for Green Building Credit
Description
Bowling Green, OH, July 6, 2009 – BioFit Engineered Products announced that its full line of seating, including those chairs and stools specially designed for industrial use, recently earned compliance under the indoor air quality requirements set forth by Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA) Furniture Emissions Standards. Subsequently, specifiers of BioFit seating for use in manufacturing, assembly, food processing, refining and other indoor commercial industrial environments are now eligible to receive credits under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
BioFit voluntarily submitted sample seating to Berkeley Analytical Associates in Richmond, California, for objective, third-party testing of volatile organic compound emission levels. The evaluation was conducted in accordance with certification requirements per the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/BIFMA protocol M7.1-2007, Mid-size Chamber Test. Product emissions during the 168-hour test period were measured to determine the levels of potential pollutants. In addition to total VOCs, measurements included emissions of other select, harmful compounds including a variety of aldehydes. At the end of the evaluation, it was determined that BioFit seating successfully met the ANSI/BIFMA requirements, and by doing so was also rated compliant under the requirements of LEED CI EQ Credit 4.5, Low Emitting Material, Systems Furniture and Seating, Option C.
According to BioFit President Ed Metzger, meeting the ANSI/BIFMA and LEED standards is the latest in a substantial list of green accomplishments for BioFit. “We’ve long considered ourselves an industry standard-bearer when it comes to environmental stewardship,” Metzger explained. “Walking the walk by voluntarily undergoing and passing the rigorous ANSI/BIFMA air quality evaluation was one of the goals we set for this year. While we’re pleased this benchmark will allow our new and existing customers to get credits under LEED, even more importantly, we’re proud in the knowledge that end users will not be put at risk from indoor air pollutants generated from our products.” Of note, all BioFit table lines earned GREENGUARD® indoor air quality and Children and Schools certifications earlier this year, making them LEED-compliant as well.
For more information on ANSI/BIFMA Standard M7.1-2007, visit www.bifma.org.
About Biofit Engineered Products
Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, BioFit Engineered Products is a leading manufacturer and global provider of LEED-compliant ergonomic seating, GREENGUARD-certified cafeteria and mobile tables, carts and specialty products for industrial, bio- and high-tech, healthcare, educational, office, laboratory, hospitality, and custom environments.