Abbreviations & Definitions

B.A.U.M. - The German Environmental Management Association is a network of 500 companies and is the European business community's largest environmental organisation.

Source:  ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/toolkit/further/partners.htm#Anchor-German

 

DfE - Design for the Environment

 

FIRA Excellence Award - Signifies the product undergoes extensive testing for the ergonomic requirements of British and European Standards and FIRA Specifications. Qualifying products meet safety, comfort and sustainability criteria.

Source: http://www.fira.co.uk/

 

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody Certification (CoC) - To track materials as they leave the forest and become products downstream, a CoC certification allows products to be segregated and identified as having come from a FSC-certified forest.

Source: http://www.fscus.org/

 

GREENGUARD® - The GREENGUARD Certification Program is a third-party, voluntary testing program for low-emitting products and materials. To qualify for GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification®, products and materials are regularly tested to ensure that their emissions meet indoor air quality pollutant guidelines/standards.

 

GREENGUARD® for Children & Schools - A product certification program for low-emitting interior building materials, furnishings and finish systems used in educational (day-care and K-12) environments.

Source: http://www.greenguard.org/ [Haworth certified products are listed]

 

GRI - Global Reporting Initiative; a multi-stakeholder process and independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. These guidelines are for voluntary use to report on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of an organization's activities, products and services.

Source: http://www.globalreporting.org/

 

ISO 14001 - The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) specifies the international requirements for an environmental management system.

 

LEED® - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; a certification program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council to recognise leadership in environmental design for commercial and residential construction and renovation.

Source: http://www.usgbc.org/

 

Life cycle assessment (LCA) - the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a product or service. The goal is to compare the full range of environmental damages assignable and to be able to choose the least burdensome one.

 

MBDC - McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry; environmental consultants that developed the Cradle to Cradle protocol to assess human and ecological impacts of chemicals and materials.

Source: http://www.mbdc.com/

 

PEFC Council - The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that promotes sustainably-managed forests through independent third-party certification.