Invista, a global manufacturer of polymers and fibers including Stainmaster and Antron carpet fibers, is the first company to obtain Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification for its carpet fibers under a new, expanded standard by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a recognized third-party expert in environmental certification. Environmentally Preferable Products are defined by U.S. Executive Order 13101 (replaced by EO 13423) as products that have a lesser or reduced effect on the environment when compared to competitive products that serve the same purpose.

“EPP certification is important to Invista and to our customers because it is third-party affirmation that our Stainmaster  and Antron carpet fibers can have a reduced environmental impact,” Bobby Berrier, global sustainability director for Invista’s Performance Surfaces & Materials business. “It also supports our recent Life Cycle Analysis data that shows that these products can have a reduced environmental impact versus competitive offerings due to their manufacturing processes and longer first life.”

The new EPP certification, performed under the new standard SCS-002, is a complex evaluation using advanced LCA metrics and product performance data that quantifies the human health and environmental impacts associated with a product, across the product life cycle. To achieve EPP certification status, products must demonstrate reduced impact compared to a reference baseline, reflective of the typical products in the industry sector. Core impact categories for the carpet fiber certification standard include Non-renewable Energy Depletion, Greenhouse Gas Loading, Oceanic and Regional Acidification, Ground Level Ozone Exposure and Particulate Matter Exposure. Previous EPP certifications used attribute-based environmental criteria but not quantifiable impact metrics.  

According to SCS, the new certification provides green building professionals with both the breadth and depth needed to assess the environmental impacts of products. Antron carpet fibers have been certified by SCS as an EPP multiple times since 2002. This is the first time Stainmaster carpet fibers have been submitted for certification.

“Invista was awarded EPP certification after SCS’s scientific review took into account the full ‘cradle to grave’ consequences of the raw material and energy inputs, manufacture, use, product performance, and disposal of the Stainmaster and Antron carpet fibers,” SCS president Stanley Rhodes, PhD, described. “EPP certification means that Stainmaster  and Antron carpet fibers were found to have reduced environmental impacts, when compared against the carpet fiber baseline.”