Badges of Quality

Environmental concerns over the years.

In 1931, the concern became the use of asbestos as a building material. In 1971, it was exposure to lead paint. More recently, it has been the health effects of radon and formaldehyde gases as volatile organic compounds leaching from household materials into the air. As technology has advanced the manufacturing of materials that go into construction, so too have the concerns regarding the effects those materials can have on our health.

Everyone’s responsibility

Because we spend so much time indoors each and every day, whether in our homes or where we work, our wellbeing depends on the vigilance of everyone from architects and designers to product developers and manufacturers to engineers and contractors to ensure the healthiest environments possible.

Testing and disclosure

In recent years, there has been tremendous growth in the testing and certification of materials and processes regarding their safe use in our indoor environments in the United States and abroad. We believe third party testing is the only true way to objectively assess the product efficacy. As a manufacturer, Novalis® takes this very seriously. We make all of the flooring products, including our AVA® commercial LVT and make it a policy to be completely transparent about what goes into our products. All of this comes with a high price tag and can be time consuming, but we believe in our commitment to the environment and will continue to strive to make the best quality product on the market and always take the necessary steps to meet certifications, be compliant and always be transparent.

Understanding “badges of quality”

However, with the prolific growth of product certifications for sustainable manufacturing practices, it can seem a bit overwhelming. There are some that we consider absolutely essential to our products and the needs of the customers who specify and design with these products. You’ll see these badges on our product pages, spec sheets, in our ads and on our cartons, but you may not be familiar or knowledgeable about some of them. Here’s a brief snapshot on each and why they are important to us and to you when it comes to specifying LVT.

Mindful MATERIALS

AVA® supports this communications platform that helps designers better understand the materials they are specifying for their projects. In this way, Novalis® voluntarily discloses pertinent information for all AVA® flooring products regarding its lifecycle and the impact its use has on people. Mindful MATERIALS actually links various declarations and certifications together to make it easier and more accurate for the designer to properly assess the suitability of the product to the project by means of a searchable database powered by Origin. Learn more at Mindful Materials.

FloorScore®

FloorScore® is probably the most widely known indoor air quality certification standard in the world. Founded in 1984, SCS Global Services began third party testing and certification services and is now a trusted industry leader, partnering with independent, ISO-17025 accredited labs around the world. FloorScore® has been testing since 2005 for VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) that have short term and long term adverse effects on health. Learn more at FloorScore. 

EPD® Environmental Product Declaration

Administered by UL® (and others) to independently verify and register, the EPD® is a standardized, voluntary declaration of the product’s lifecycle environmental impact. This includes information about raw material acquisition, energy use and efficiency, emissions and waste generation. Learn more at EPD.