GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has launched a process to revise the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.

The standard has been very successful since its release in 2008 with more than 60 manufacturers certifying over 7,000 product lines through the level^® third-party certification program for the furniture industry’s multi-attribute, sustainability standard. It was created to deliver the most open and transparent means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment.

The sustainability field and market has continued to evolve. LEED has changed, Health Product Declarations (HPDs) have been created, and there is an increased focus on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).  The goals for the e3 revision are enhanced clarity around support for green building rating systems, updated chemistry assessment, and making it more life cycle based.

To expedite the development process, BIFMA has engaged Jennifer Atlee. Atlee has been conducting research and analysis, writing, speaking, and consulting on sustainability issues since 1999. Her work with the HPD Collaborative, Rich Earth Institute, BuildingGreen, MIT, Rocky Mountain Institute, Toxics Use Reduction Institute and Demand Management Institute has addressed green building and healthy materials, commercial and industrial energy efficiency, closing the food-nutrient cycle, community-scale renewable energy, electronics recycling flows, and the economics of toxics use reduction.

“As BIFMA begins work on the next version of the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard, we are excited to have a highly skilled and experienced resource like Jennifer join our effort,” said Tom Reardon, BIFMA Executive Director. “Jennifer’s expertise and experience will help ensure the Standard remains meaningful, significant, and in step with what customers and sustainability experts expect from such a program.”

BIFMA plans to release the revision in 2016. To participate in the revision process, contact Kianda Franklin of NSF International (kfranklin@nsf.org) to express your interest. Interested participants can volunteer to be a work group participant or observer, or participate in the meetings or conference calls that will occur over the course of the next year.