Rubbermaid products achieve GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification

ATLANTA, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A commissioned study done by Harris Interactive on behalf of GREENGUARD found that 69% of consumers prefer to buy products certified for indoor air quality. The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) continues to meet this market demand by certifying products for low chemical emissions and continuing to expand its consumer product portfolio.

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Rubbermaid, a well-known consumer brand, is the latest manufacturer to certify to the stringent GREENGUARD Children & Schools(SM) standard. Rubbermaid manufactures an assortment of products for indoor environments and has certified its wire shelving used in many residential storage applications.

"We are excited to add Rubbermaid to our list of participating manufacturers," said Dr. Marilyn Black, Founder of GEI. "It is great to see strong consumer brands like Rubbermaid recognizing the importance of providing better products for indoor environments."

Current residential green programs including LEED(R) for Homes and the ANSI National Green Building Standard(TM) (from the National Association of Home Builders) recognize the importance of good indoor air quality. These programs award numerous material credits for using low-emitting products certified by the GREENGUARD Certification programs.

To achieve GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification Rubbermaid's products were screened for more than 10,000 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including phthalates and formaldehyde. This certification signifies to consumers that these products have passed rigorous and frequent test requirements and that they do not release potentially harmful chemicals into the indoor air.

"Rubbermaid strives to provide the best products possible to consumers, and achieving GREENGUARD Certification is just one way we continue to demonstrate our corporate commitment to environmental stewardship," said Betty Schmal, Rubbermaid Product Market Manager. "We recognized consumers growing desire for 'green' products and wanted to be on the forefront of offering healthy products for the indoor environment."

Rubbermaid joins the more than 200 participating manufacturers in the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM). Other consumer products certified include paint, mattresses, cribs and children's furniture. For a complete listing of all GREENGUARD Certified products visit the free online product guide at www.greenguard.org.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of GREENGUARD from December 17-19, 2008, among 2,207 adults age 18+. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

Founded in 2001, GEI is an industry independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification programs. The Institute's mission is to protect human health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air that people breathe. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for building materials, interior products, electronic equipment, indoor environments and buildings. The more than 200,000 GREENGUARD Certified products 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. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by a number of "green" building programs, including the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED(R) program. An online guide of GREENGUARD Certified products is available at no charge at www.greenguard.org.

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Marilyn Black

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SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute