BIFMA e3 LEVEL® Certification

Most buyers demand that goods be manufactured to meet requirements for quality. Today, many are also insisting that manufacturing processes are Safe, Clean and Environmentally friendly (“Sustainable”). Intertek is a global leader in sustainability services and certifications. We offer environmental testing, inspection and certification in nearly all industries and countries around the globe.

Increasing our level of commitment to the environment, Intertek provides commercial furniture manufacturers certification to the BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainable Standard for LEVEL certification. This certification is a multi-attributed, multi-faceted approach to sustainable manufacturing for the furniture industry. Based on the BIFMA e3-Furniture Sustainability Standard, LEVEL is a third-party certification program that provides manufacturers with valuable feedback for evaluating the environmental, human, and social impacts of their furniture products for manufacturing, facility, and organization. For more information or to comment on the standard, visit bifma.org.

Under the LEVEL certification program, Intertek will evaluate products and processes based on four performance criteria:

• Materials
• Use of Energy
• Atmosphere and Ecosystem Health
• Social Responsibility

Similar to the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED program, LEVEL® certification requires specific prerequisites for compliance and a minimum number of points based upon the certification LEVEL attempting. For points to obtain LEVEL one, two or three certification, manufacturers may choose from those credits they want to attempt. The independent third-party certification from Intertek can demonstrate LEVEL certification, with compliance to the BIFMA e3 standard and allow manufacturers to achieve the LEVEL® mark.

Participation in the LEVEL® certification program provides a pathway for furniture manufacturers to achieve greater sustainability attributes, not only for individual products, but throughout the entire supply chain. Manufacturers who receive the LEVEL® certification mark are verifying that their policies and guidelines of the facility, furniture products and processes, and suppliers of materials and components are meeting the stringent requirements for LEVEL certification by BIFMA e3 standard conformance.

Gain a Competitive Edge in the Market

• Showcase Sustainability Leadership or allows your company to showcase sustainability leadership by demonstrating a verified commitment to responsible materials, ethical practices, and environmental stewardship.
• Meet Buyer and Specifier Expectations or helps you meet buyer and specifier expectations by aligning your products with the sustainability criteria required for green building projects like LEED, WELL, and government procurement programs.
• Stand Out from the Competition or helps your brand stand out from the competition by demonstrating advanced sustainability performance and a commitment to innovation under the updated 2024 BIFMA standard.
• Streamline Compliance and Transparency or helps streamline compliance and transparency by aligning your product documentation with industry standards for emissions, material health, and responsible manufacturing.

About BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard

The BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard for business and institutional furniture manufacturers is the first fully transparent, multi-attribute sustainability standard addressing material utilization, energy and atmosphere impacts, as well as human and ecosystem health and social responsibility matters.

Manufacturers evaluating products to the BIFMA e3 sustainability standard and undergoing an independent, third-party certification process can achieve the LEVEL® certification mark.

It gives manufacturers a methodology to present the environmental characteristics of their products in a clear, easily understood manner and allows customers to make informed choices about commercial furniture that exceed single environmental attribute certifications.

The standard has been developed by working with stakeholders and experts from inside and outside the industry. Using the ANSI process, over 125 participants contributed to committees and sub-committees to develop the BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.

Find your LEVEL® certificate on Intertek's Sustainability Certification Directory.

For more information or to comment on the standard, visit BIFMA.org