Sustainability Standards Will Include Suspended Ceiling Systems and Related Products NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- UL Environment, Inc. (ULE), a global leader in environmental evaluation and certification, announces today that it is leading a collaborative effort to develop sustainability standards for suspended ceiling materials and systems. Suspended ceiling systems were selected as part of a continuing effort that UL Environment has initiated to launch sustainability standards where standards do not currently exist. Through materials and life cycle assessment of suspended ceiling materials, ULE will lead an effort which will identify environmentally-preferable ceiling materials and systems. According to a 2007 study by the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association, suspended ceilings can achieve a life cycle payback in as few as 11 months due to reduced energy requirements. Suspended ceilings are often made of fiberglass, wood fiber, wet-pressed mineral-fiber, waste paper, cornstarch and other mineral-based components, and can contain recycled content. "Suspended ceilings have many sustainability advantages and setting standards will allow us to better identify and evaluate those advantages," said Steve Wenc, President, ULE. "Standards that take into account recycled content, energy efficiency and other aspects of ceiling systems eliminate the need for architects and builders to make complicated and time-consuming sustainability evaluations on their own." ULE's new sustainability standards will draw on input from UL Environment Standard Technical Panels (STPs) comprised of stakeholders such as manufacturers, government entities, consumer interest groups, product installers, users, distributors and testing organizations. These standards will set minimum environmental requirements and create a progressive and tiered approach allowing sustainability leaders to highlight their achievements.
