UL Environment Inc. has validated environmental claims for Serious Materials’ new drywall product, EcoRockTM. This represents the first validation of claims by UL Environment, and the first product in the 115-year history of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to receive an Environmental Claims Validation. UL Environment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UL, a world leader in product safety testing services.
UL Environment validated Serious Materials’ environmental claims for EcoRock by performing audits, assessments and laboratory tests. The UL Environment process validated the following environmental claims for EcoRock: 80 percent recycled content, low VOC emissions (meets CA 01350), no mercury detected and highly resistant to mold.
”As sustainable products become more available, third-party validation of claims by credible organizations like UL Environment will be crucial to eliminating exaggerated green marketing claims,” said Steve Wenc, President, UL Environment Inc. “UL Environment applies solid science and more than a century of testing expertise to protect consumers from vague, false or misleading environmental claims.”
Serious Materials completely reengineered the manufacturing and ingredients of drywall with the introduction of EcoRock, a green alternative to gypsum drywall. EcoRock is used like standard gypsum drywall, but requires 80 percent less energy in its core production. Its manufacturing process eliminates heaters, dryers, calcining and the burning of fossil fuels. Using EcoRock instead of gypsum drywall would eliminate up to 20 billion pounds of CO2 emissions per year in North America.
UL Environment applies a rigorous, independent testing process to the testing of environmental claims and allows manufacturers that successfully pass the tests to apply the UL Environment service logo on product packaging and marketing materials. This not only protects consumers, institutions and businesses, it also reinforces the credibility of companies that produce products with substantiated environmental claims. Validation also helps companies differentiate themselves in the increasingly crowded “green” product space.
Source: www.oikos.com