DGNB approves Indoor Air Comfort Gold
Indoor Air Comfort Gold is Europe’s most comprehensive label for verifying low product emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The program combines all relevant mandatory European regulations in addition to a large number of voluntary labels on VOC emissions. Certification includes testing and screening for thousands of potentially harmful chemicals as well as an internal quality program that ensures continuous reliability of manufacturer processes.
VOC requirements for a number of green building certifications, including LEED and BREEAM, are already included as part of the Indoor Air Comfort Gold label. Now the label will fulfil the criteria for Germany’s DGNB as well.
Recognition of product labels in the DGNB system
Construction products play an essential role in achieving the sustainability goals set in the building or neighborhood. Their environmental impact, such as pollutant emissions or energy consumption during manufacturing, operation or decommissioning, their life-cycle costs, which are significantly affected by, for example, inspection and maintenance costs or cleaning effort, and their impact on user comfort, contribute significantly to the overall performance of a building.
Quality certificates for construction products are often created and certified by product labels from standards organizations. These should help customers and planners to assess quickly and reliably whether the quality meets their own requirements.
For construction products a variety of labels are available. In order to give the planners and customers orientation, the DGNB has developed the procedure for the recognition of product labels. This applies in the following criteria:
- Local environmental impact (ENV 1.2)
- Sustainable resource extraction (ENV 1.3)
- Ease of recovery and recycling (TEC 1.6)
Construction certification plays an important role in the sustainability certification of buildings. Finally, a variety of the criteria to be considered relates to their quality characteristics. To reduce the complexity of the necessary information, product labels can be useful as independent quality proofs. With the new version 2018 of its certification system, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is introducing for the first time a procedure for the recognition of such product labels. For this, label providers must meet a number of requirements. Recognition can refer to three criteria within the DGNB system: sustainable resource extraction, avoidance of harmful substances and risk substances as well asease of recovery and recycling.
After testing the label in accordance with the requirements of the DGNB, we come to the following conclusion: The label "Indoor Air Comfort Gold" has been accepted for the criterion "ENV1.2 Local environmental impact" as proof of the emission requirements according to the following table.
The label "Indoor Air Comfort Gold" recognizes construction products with low VOC emissions (volatile organic compound) and combines the compliance of relevant European regulations on VOC emissions of products and most of the voluntary emission labels with regard to VOC emissions the health and environmental aspects of construction, thereby promoting better indoor air quality.
The label's award criteria are co-developed by independent bodies. The awarding process is clear and transparent. Verification of compliance with the label's award criteria is carried out through regular and comprehensive controls in the form of monitoring, audits and re-audits. The testing laboratories must have a corresponding accreditation.
If a label taker violates the label's award criteria, the label will be revoked.
The "Indoor Air Comfort Gold" label was recognized on the basis of the proof of equivalence submitted by the label owner.
The recognition is based on the criterion "ENV1.2 - Risks to the local environment" in version 2018. The recognition is limited to the proof of emission of lines 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 20, 23, 47a, 48 - New building and interior criteria matrix (Annex 1) and lines 1 and 2 - Interior criteria matrix (Annex 2).
The approval is valid for the certification level "Indoor Air Comfort Gold" and is valid for one year from the date of release of this test report, ie until 01.05.2019 After the end of the term, the classifications will be adjusted by the DGNB on the basis of confirmations or replenishment by Eurofins or verified.
