CRI and MTS Promote Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard as the Preferred Environmental Carpet Standard

Contact: CRI Communications Department, 706.428.2103

November 7, 2005 - The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) and The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) have reached an agreement to promote their jointly developed Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard as the preferred consensus environmental standard for purchasers, specifiers, and users of carpet. The standard will be administered by the not-for-profit NSF International and published as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) draft standard for trial use following registration. This will move the standard into a well-established, transparent ANSI process that will refine and finalize the draft through a consensus–based task force within the next three years. The task force will include many of the MTS and CRI members that developed the standard.

"This new carpet standard is the direct result of the commitment and leadership by MTS to assemble a broad consensus stakeholder group to create sustainable building product standards," said Russell Grizzle, Chairman of the CRI Board of Directors. The carpet standard began as part of an overall sustainable textile standard and grew into a larger effort with active participation of carpet manufacturers due to the well-developed environmental stewardship in the carpet industry and the desire of several state governments to enact sustainable purchasing policies for carpet. MTS and CRI recognized the need to move the Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard into the market quickly to meet the demand.

CRI and MTS cooperated in determining that NSF administration and ANSI designation was the best solution to build stakeholder trust in this comprehensive global supply chain standard underpinned by life cycle analysis (LCA). Both CRI and MTS believe the carpet standard will drive progress toward sustainable product development and pave the way for future MTS product standards and administration including product certification by Ernst & Young’s Global Sustainability Audit Group.

"We are very proud to stand with CRI as both organizations donate all rights to the carpet standard to a marketplace that is looking for ways to understand and evaluate products making claims of sustainability," said Denny Darragh, Chairman of the MTS Board of Directors. "This important agreement with the carpet industry and the launching of the world's first consensus sustainable product Standard, provide great benefits for global sustainability consistent with MTS' mission and activities, and further cements our joint dedication to environmental stewardship." These statements were reiterated by Russell Grizzle of CRI adding, "We expect to register the draft carpet standard under ANSI requirements and get it published by NSF well before year-end. Carpet manufacturers will begin to certify products under the draft standard very quickly."

The certification arm of NSF and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) are two highly reputable certification firms prepared to begin the detailed data verification required by the Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard. Carpet companies previously certified under the SCS Environmentally Preferable Carpet Standard will recertify under the new standard as their annual SCS renewal date is reached. SCS was instrumental in developing the new carpet standard.

View the Sustainable carpet assessment draft standard(PDF 323 KB) Need help with PDF?

About The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability

MTS, headquartered in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit public charity, comprised of leading environmental groups, governments, and companies accelerating the global market transformation to sustainability. MTS is committed to the development and administration of sustainable product standards utilizing its SMART© Sustainable/EPP Product Template©. The donation of rights associated with the Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard do not include MTS' SMART© Template© or other MTS non-carpet standards developed from the Template©.

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