CRI’s Seal Raises Vacuum Performance Standards
The CRI Seal of Approval program identifies superior carpet cleaning products that remove soil and stains without damage to the carpet.
“The Seal of Approval program sets a new standard for carpet cleaning effectiveness, and we are raising the bar again by enhancing standards for vacuum cleaning performance. At the same time, we are partnering with nationally recognized green certifiers to ensure that a product not only cleans effectively but also is environmentally friendly,” said Werner Braun, CRI president.
CRI’s long established Green Label vacuum cleaner program uses an independent laboratory to measure soil removal, containment of dirt and dust within the machine and carpet fiber protection.
The new Seal of Approval/Green Label vacuum program is a tiered program with bronze level requiring a 10% improvement of cleaning performance over the existing Green Label program.
A gold level machine must also meet a higher dust containment standard. The new gold standard requires that a machine has no more than 35 micrograms of dust particle emission. The old standard allowed for 100 micrograms of dust particle emission.
To certify that approved cleaning products do not damage the environment, CRI is partnering with Green Seal and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s “Design for the Environment program.” CRI intends to add nationally recognized green product partners so that Seal of Approval manufacturers have a choice of certifiers.
“CRI does not recommend any specific program or programs over another,” said Braun. “We want to encourage all cleaning product manufacturers to review their products to ensure they clean to a high standard and are also environmental friendly.”
In order to become an approved green product, the manufacturer must provide CRI with documentation from one of the green partner organizations attesting that its product meets the certifier’s environmental criteria.
Related Topics:Carpet and Rug Institute