UL Environment validates first product

The UL Environment certification mark.

The world got a new eco-label June 1 when UL Environment Inc. announced it validated the environmental claims Serious Materials makes for its product called EcoRock. It is the first product claim validated by Northbrook-based UL Environment, a wholly owned subsidiary of 115-year old Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading tester of product claims and safety standards.

For now, UL Environment is only validating specific and measurable claims that confrom to Federal Trade Commission Green Guide requirements. It is not certifying products to independent standards. It says its focus will be on building products and personal electronics, the traditional strengths of UL. In the future, the company plans to create standards for products where none exist by using the claims of manufacturers to create draft standards, says Chris Nelson, director of global commercial development for UL Environment.

UL Environment validation is not meant to supplant existing eco-labels, though some could fall by the wayside. "There is a very confusing market space because there isn't a clear leader to define what a sustainable product is," Nelson says. "Some companies we work with are going through five certifications because they don't know what will resonate."

Some certifications, such as the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S Green Building Council are more mature and understood by consumers. But Nelson notes LEED and other green building rating systems have created a demand for sustainable building materials. And that's where UL Environment validation will come in handy, he says, by certifying the materials going into buildings certified by USGBC and other certifying bodies.

With certification from UL Environment, EcoRock is validated as being made with 80 percent recycled content, having low emissions of volatile organic compounds, being mercury free, and highly resistant to mold, making it more likely to help developers receive related LEED credits.