Dalton, Georgia - The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), in conjunction with the Carpet Cushion Council (CCC), announces the unveiling of the Green Label Plus program for carpet cushion products.

Currently, the CCC participates in Green Label, CRI's original indoor air quality testing program, but not in the more recent and more comprehensive Green Label Plus. Both programs measure compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but Green Label Plus is the more comprehensive of the two programs.

"Green Label Plus is the recognized leader for indoor air quality," according to CRI's Director of Regulatory Systems Jeff Carrier.

"This offers cushion manufacturers the opportunity to qualify their products according to these more stringent standards and provide additional assurance for consumers concerned about indoor air quality or potential VOC emissions."

The history of the Green Label programs dates back to the early 1990s, Carrier says, when the carpet industry and CRI had the foresight to establish a program to test for compounds that may or may not be present in carpet, adhesives and cushion.

The initial goal was to help builders and specifiers identify products with very low emissions of VOCs. Being certified as a Green Label product ensured consumers that they were purchasing only the lowest- emitting products in the marketplace.

In 2002, as California introduced its sweeping CA 01350 emissions standard test method, the carpet industry followed shortly afterwards with its CA 01350-compliant Green Label Plus program.

"The Green Label Plus program tests for significantly more compounds and a much broader spectrum of compounds than does the Green Label program," Carrier notes.

"The benefits of having more recognizable standards for carpet, adhesives and cushion products will be the chance to display more definitively the high level of performance on indoor air quality that this trio of products offers to the American consumer and to the world."

Preparations are underway to have the Green Label Plus program for cushion products accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). That process is expected to take several months to complete, CRI officials say.

"The CCC is excited to continue its partnership with CRI," Robert Clark, executive director of the CCC, says. "The addition of Green Label Plus cushion is a natural evolution of the program which has given our cushion manufacturers the opportunity to demonstrate the quality of their products to the public."

About The Carpet and Rug Institute

The CRI is the leading industry source for science- based information and insight on how carpet and rugs create a better environment-for living, working, learning and healing. The Institute's mission is to serve the carpet industry and public by providing facts that help people make informed choices. Its best practices promote a balance between social, economic and environmental responsibility for the long term. CRI does this for its industry, yet it strives to be a model corporate citizen for all industries.