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.
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)
- Minimum 55% of products shall:
- Be certified to a multi-attribute sustainability standard such as Green Squared®
- Have an EPD
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®
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
- Aids US Government purchasing officials in identifying and procuring environmentally sustainable products and services
- Green Squared® listed for tile
- 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.
Six Steps Toward Certification
Application Process
Manufacturer interested in having a product certified applies directly to an authorized Green Squared certification agency, not TCNA.
Evaluation
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
Confidentiality
All proprietary information remains confidential between the certification agency and the manufacturer.
Certification
- 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
Product Listing
- 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.
Using the Mark
- Directly on certified products
- Certified product packaging
- Promotional literature published about a certified product