ATLANTA, Jan. 23, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is pleased to
announce the certification of the first Japanese manufactured
furniture products by Okamura Corporation. This marks an
exciting step for GREENGUARD towards broadening its global
reach as an international ecolabel. Okamura joins a growing
list of international manufacturers with GREENGUARD Certified
products, including BASF (Germany), Cosentino, S.A. (Spain),
Freudenberg (Germany), Knauf Insulation (Germany), and Saint-Gobain
(France).
"We applaud Okamura for being the first Japanese company to
attain GREENGUARD Certification for their furniture products,"
says Carl E. Smith, CEO with GEI. "As a recognized world
leader and one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the
world, Okamura's participation in the GREENGUARD Certification
Program demonstrates true environmental leadership in their
market." In addition to the Contessa Task Chair, which was
certified in 2003, Okamura added three seating series
(Baron/Okamura CP, Grata, Visconte) to its GREENGUARD
Certified product range, which were introduced at the Eco
Products Fair in Japan in December 2007.
"As a leading Japanese furniture manufacturer with globally
diverse operations, Okamura believes that focus toward
sustainability and product safety are essential for success on
a global scale," says Hiroki Iwashita, Director of Okamura's
Marketing Division. "Okamura chose GREENGUARD because of its
stringent testing level and superior certification method,
which we believe will be accepted world-wide." In addition to
the GREENGUARD Certification, Okamura products feature high
recycled content and recyclability, and are developed,
manufactured and distributed in accordance with its ISO14001
certified environmental management system.
A member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), GEI
believes that promoting impartial, third-party certification
through recognized ecolabelling programs is critical for
verifying the environmental attributes of products in a global
economy. The GREENGUARD Certification Program measures
chemical off gassing of indoor products and processes during
recommended use and application, and then compares the
measured emission levels against established health standards.
GEI is the world's largest resource for selecting low-emitting
products, with more than 125 manufacturers and over 150,000
products listed in the organization's online product guide
(http://www.greenguard.org/). Access to the product guide is
available without charge as a public service to architects,
designers, health care providers, building owners,
construction specifiers and consumers.
About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
GEI is an industry independent, non-profit organization that
oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program. GEI's mission
is to improve human health and quality of life through
programs that improve indoor air that people breathe. As an
ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, GEI establishes
acceptable standards for building materials, interior
products, electronic equipment, environments and buildings.
Products that are GREENGUARD Certified must meet stringent,
third-party standards for low chemical emissions based on
established health standards and undergo rigorous testing and
verification processes on a regular basis.
About Okamura Corporation
For over 60 years, Okamura has been Japan's leading office
furniture manufacturer and a benchmark for the industry.
Okamura is recognized for its high quality products achieved
by excellence in design and engineering. Okamura products are
now distributed to over 50 countries. Visit Okamura at
http://www.okamura.co.jp/.
Source: GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
CONTACT: Laura Spriggs, Communications Manager of GREENGUARD
Environmental Institute, +1-678-444-4044,
lspriggs@greenguard.org
Web Site:
http://www.greenguard.org/
http://www.okamura.co.jp/
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