The Formica Group has received GREENGUARD Certification in Asia from the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) for Formica laminate and DecoMetal by Formica Group products. This certification has been achieved for its plants in HsinFeng, Taiwan; QingPu, China; and Bangkok, Thailand, and join already GREENGUARD certified plants in North America. The Formica Group has an ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility and continual improvement and is currently processing GREENGUARD certification for its European plants.
     The GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments and buildings, and the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified mark signifies that products contribute minimally to chemical emissions in indoor environments. By earning this Certification for the Asian market, the Formica Group not only demonstrates sustainable practices throughout its operations, but can assure designers and product specifiers that Formica brand products are healthy options for a range of environments.
     The testing and certification process is divided into five phases, and the Formica Group has worked closely with GEI's assessors throughout.  "In keeping with our strategy to understand and reduce environmental impacts from our products in all aspects of our business, we developed a process with the GREENGUARD Certification Program to have all products tested and approved to meet GEI's Indoor Air Quality Standards," Gavin Todd, Group Development Manager for Sustainability, Formica Group commented.
     "These Standards set the benchmark for low emitting finished products within the industry and gaining these accreditations is not only important for our business but also gives confidence to our customers that we continually strive to minimize any impact on the environment."
     GEI Certification in Asia follows the recent completion of a product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) by the Formica Group, on key products and their environmental impacts on energy, water, waste and greenhouse gases in all of its ten international plants, located in Canada, China, Finland, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, USA, and the UK. The assessment was conducted by an independent, third-party carbon and sustainability consultant in accordance with the international standard ISO 14040 series.