Green Squared certification was developed by TCNA to acknowledge products which have been verified by an independent 3rd party to be in conformance with ANSI A138.1. Products certified under Green Squared are allowed use of the Green Squared Certified mark. This easily-recognizable mark helps architects, designers, and end users choose products and rest assured that the products they are choosing meet the industry's broad range of sustainability criteria.

The Green Squared framework for product evaluation and certification is in accordance with ISO Type 1 environmental labeling and declaration requirements (ISO 14024). With so many different brands of green today, Green Squared certification provides authenticity and conveys that the product certified is the real deal. In a marketplace wary of unsubstantial product sustainability claims, Green Squared third party validation is provided by well-known and widely recognized certification bodies.

The Green Squared® Certification Process

A manufacturer seeking to use the Green Squared Certified mark on their product applies directly to a certification body which is approved under the Green Squared program. The certification body then makes necessary arrangements with the manufacturer to evaluate whether or not the product meets the ANSI A138.1 standard. This evaluation, which is in accordance with the Green Squared Certification Program Criteria, includes a comprehensive and objective review of the product and its associated organization and manufacturing facility. Based on this evaluation, if the certification body decides to certify that the product meets ANSI A138.1, the certification body authorizes the use of the Green Squared Certified mark.

 

Global Applicability

Green Squared certification and the ANSI A138.1 standard were developed specifically to be applicable to products no matter where in the world they are produced. A North American program developed to meet the sustainability needs of the North American marketplace, Green Squared provides all producers, foreign and domestic, with a clear benchmark for designing sustainable products which can be accepted by North American green building programs.

 

Sustainability is Beautiful

When you see the Green Squared® Certified mark, you know the product you're looking at has been independently certified to meet the broad array of rigorous sustainability standards in the Green Squared standard, ANSI 138.1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Building

LEED logo

Pilot Credit-Certified Multiattribute Products & Materials

  • 25% (by cost) of permanently installed building products are third party certified to an approved USGBC sustainability standard
  • Green Squared specifically listed by USGBC for tile
  • For more info, click here.

505.3.2 Multi-Attribute Standard (Verified Conformance)

Section 505.3
  • Minimum 55% of products shall:
  • Be certified to a multi-attribute sustainability standard such as Green Squared®
  • Have an EPD
• Green Squared Certified products typically have EPDs as such is a criterion of the Green Squared® Standard
ASHRAE logo

9.4.1.4.3 Third Party Multi-Attribute Certification

  • Section 9.4.1.4
    • At least 10 products installed in the building shall:
    • Have an EPD
    • and/or be certified to a multi-attribute sustainability standard such as Green Squared®

611.2 Sustainable Products

  • Section 611.2 Sustainable products
  • Select products with multi-attribute certifications
  • 3 points if at least 50% of tile is Green Squared Certified®
Green Globes logo

3.5.1.2 Building Core/Shell Path B 3.5.2.2 Interior Fit-Outs Path B

  • Points: minimum % of products have EPD, and/or multi-attribute certification such as Green Squared®
  • Core and Shell
    • 10% of products (10 points)
    • 25% of products (15 points)
    • 40% of products (20 points)
  • Interior Fit-Outs
    • 10% of products (5 points)
    • 25% of products (7 points)
    • 40% of products (10 points)

EPA Recommended,GSA Specified

US EPA’s Recommendations of Specifications Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing
  • Aids US Government purchasing officials in identifying and procuring environmentally sustainable products and services
  • Green Squared® listed for tile
GSA’s PBS-P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Building Service
  • Green Squared® certification specified in tiling provisions for Baseline, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 conformance
  • Section 3.5.2.6 Pressed Floor Tile
  • Section 3.5.2.7 Porcelain Tile
  • Section 3.5.2.8 Quarry Tile
  • Section 3.5.2.9 Mosaic Tile
  • Section 3.5.2.18 Glazed Wall Tile

Get Certified: Certification Agencies

Are you a manufacturer interested in obtaining Green Squared certification of your tile or related installation material? Contact a Green Squared-approved certification agency.

SCS Global Services

 

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UL Environment


Download the Green Squared Certification Program Criteria

Six Steps Toward Certification

Here's what to expect when pursuing Green Squared Certification of your product(s):


Manufacturer interested in having a product certified applies directly to an authorized Green Squared certification agency, not TCNA.


The certification process involves the following:
  • General evaluation of the applicant organization
  • Evaluation of conformance to ANSI A138.1 product requirements
  • On-site facility evaluation




All proprietary information remains confidential between the certification agency and the manufacturer.


  • G2 Certified mark awarded by certification agency
  • All engineering judgments made by certification agency
  • Scope of certified products determined by certification agency
  • Any appeals made directly to certification agency


  • Agency lists all certified products and facilitates their discovery and specification via established certified product libraries.
  • Certifications valid for a five-year period.
  • Surveillance audits each year.
  • Re-certification after five years.


  • Directly on certified products
  • Certified product packaging
  • Promotional literature published about a certified product