Ecomaterial standard – Interview with Armen Khachikyan
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National Bureau for Ecological Standards and Ratings together with EcoStandard group, Russia’s leading ecological auditing company, developed a new ecological standard for labeling construction materials, EcoMaterial. - Why do we need a public standard for labeling building materials? According to the estimates of the leading Russian ecological consultancy EcoStandard group, 30% of materials in the Russian market are dangerous to people’s health; 40% are potentially dangerous, that is, when several materials from this group are used inside, concentration of hazardous materials would exceed the norms due to summation effect. Only 30% of the products available on the market can be recommended for use. |
The most appalling thing is that about 80% of producers are not ashamed of advertising their products as environmentally friendly.Как устроен стандарт маркировки EcoMaterial?
- How is EcoMaterial standard organised?
The major principles of the standard are the following:
- objectivity: all the materials belonging to one group are assessed against a list of criteria, which eliminates any bias;
- transparency: all the methods and results are published on the website; Standard implementation practice is constantly discussed for further improvement;
- social responsibility: EcoMaterial standard considers all ecological characteristics of materials. However, its major aim is to guarantee safety and improve quality of life.
EcoMaterial standard has been developed on the basis of ISO 14020 and 14024 considers the material’s impact on people and environment during the whole life cycle of the product from raw material extraction to disposal.
The standard contains 62 assessment criteria. These include obligatory ones that every certified material should meet and additional criteria for which materials receive additional points. The maximum number of points is 200.
- What are the criteria against which materials are assessed?
The standard has three groups of criteria:
- Safety for people,
- Environmental safety
- Producer’s ecological responsibility
As a result, certified material may receive one of the following labels:
The material is safe for usage without restrictions (all obligatory requirements are met and material acquired not less than 55 points).
The material is safe for people and its production does not harm the environment (all obligatory requirements are met and material acquired not less than 85 points).
Natural material (all obligatory requirements are met and material acquired not less than 135 points and the material contains no synthetic components).
The fact that EcoMaterial labeling is not obligatory, to acquire even the basic level producers have to demonstrate quite high ecological safety level. Thus, clients can be sure that the products they buy are of high quality.
- In what way is EcoMaterial different from other similar standards?
EcoMaterial standard differs from Russian sanitary norms and similar foreign standards in that, first, materials for tests are acquired from official dealers (and not provided by the producer as these samples may differ from mass-produced goods) and second, annual selective quality control activities are carried out.
This standard was developed according the Russian legislation, but also with recommendations of the World Health Organisation and USGBC (US Green Building Council) in mind. It is also in line with ecological management standard ISO 14000 and regional European standards.
- What was the market reaction to the new standard?
The new standard sparked considerable interest among producers of high-quality and safe goods that have long been waiting for an objective proof of their ecologic responsibility. So far, 68 items of Rockwool heat insulation have been certified and achieved EcoMaterial green status. Auro paints are in the final stage of certification and are likely to achieve EcoMaterial natural status. By the end of 2010 NBESR is planning to certify 10-15 leading building and finishing materials on each market segment.
