More Young America Products Greenguard Certified

September 19, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on September 20, 2010

Young America, Stanley Furniture's nursery and youth furniture brand, has received Greenguard Children & Schools Certification for 47 additional products.

Greenguard Environmental Institute is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that specializes in improving public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air quality. Since its inception in 2001, GEI has been using environmental chamber technology to certify products for chemical emissions and uphold rigorous indoor air quality standards.

"Greenguard Certification focuses primarily on the indoor air quality of a child's living space, particularly the bedroom where he/she spends the most time," said Cristina Loth, Young America's vice president of engineering services. "Children spend about 85 percent of their time indoors, where the air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoors.

"Based on these statistics, we quickly realized that the health and safety of a child starts indoors. That's when Young America made the decision to lead the industry in safety by offering consumers, over time, an entire Young America product line that is Greenguard Certified."

The additional 47 items in the Young America product line that have received the Greenguard Children & Schools Certification include a variety of beds.

"Since the majority of a childʼs first few years of life are spent sleeping," said Ward OʼQuinn, product manager for Young America, "it only seemed natural that we begin the certification process with cribs and beds."

According to Neil MacKenzie, Stanleytown, Va.-based Stanley Furniture Company's director of marketing, all certified products can now be identified on youngamerica.com by the Greenguard Children & Schools Certification logo.

"When it comes to indoor air quality, Greenguard is the authority in the infant and youth furniture industry," O'Quinn said. "We are excited and proud to offer our retailers and consumers such a highly-regarded third-party certification. And Young America's cribs and beds are only the beginning."