Environmental Product Certification — Furniture

Core Certification Content

Environmental product certification (furniture) focuses on the green performance of the product throughout its entire life cycle, examining the following five attribute dimensions:

• Resource Attributes: Covering the comprehensive utilization rate of wood (solid wood sawn timber not less than 65%, solid wood panels not less than 85%), legality of wood sources, proportion of renewable materials used, and environmental friendliness of packaging materials (not using hydrochlorofluorocarbons as foaming agents). It requires that the proportion of raw materials such as solid wood, veneer, and bamboo reaches over 50% by the fifth year after the standard's release.
• Energy Attributes: Evaluating the comprehensive energy consumption during the production process, requiring enterprises to partially or fully use clean energy such as solar, wind, and biomass energy, promoting clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy utilization.
• Low-Carbon Attributes: Requiring enterprises to establish carbon footprint management measures and provide product carbon footprint reports per certification unit, driving carbon emission peaking actions in the furniture sector.
• Environmental Attributes: Strictly controlling the release of hazardous substances, with formaldehyde emission not exceeding 0.05 mg per cubic meter; limiting hazardous substances in packaging materials (total content of lead, chromium, cadmium, and mercury not exceeding 100 mg per kg); requiring effective operation of emission treatment facilities for waste gas, wastewater, waste, and noise during production.
• Quality Attributes: Verifying the mechanical performance and durability of products. For swivel chairs, the seat shall withstand repeated impact durability of no less than 100,000 cycles, and seat surface rotation durability of no less than 120,000 cycles; for cabinet-type pull-and-push components, durability of no less than 80,000 cycles, ensuring both environmental protection and quality.

Certification Grades and Evaluation System

Environmental product certification (furniture), based on the GB/T 35607-2024 standard, adopts a tiered management system with two benchmark levels:

• Green Product: Products that simultaneously meet the basic requirements and the evaluation indicator values for green products, representing that the product meets the national unified green product standard requirements.
• Green Benchmark Product: Products that simultaneously meet the basic requirements and the evaluation indicator values for green benchmark products. These set stricter requirements in areas such as raw material utilization rates, limits on hazardous substances in raw materials, and overall hazardous substance emissions from furniture products, representing the industry's leading level.

Certification Unit Division

Certification is divided into seven certification units based on product type: chairs, swivel chairs, tables, beds, cabinets, mattresses, and sofas.

Certification Conditions

Enterprises and products applying for environmental product certification (furniture) must meet the following basic conditions:

• Management System Requirements: Shall establish and operate environmental management systems, energy management systems, quality management systems, and occupational health and safety management systems in accordance with GB/T 24001, GB/T 23331, GB/T 19001, and GB/T 45001 respectively.
• Environmental Compliance Requirements: Pollutant emissions shall comply with relevant environmental protection laws and regulations; no major or above safety accidents or environmental pollution incidents in the past three years; total pollutant control shall meet national and local total pollutant emission control targets.
• Product Green Design Requirements: Manufacturing enterprises shall carry out product green design work, based on the product life cycle concept, continuously improving the green design of products in terms of resources, energy, environment, quality, and low carbon, achieving the goals of reduction, reuse, and resource recovery.
• Carbon Footprint Management Requirements: Enterprises shall have carbon footprint management measures and provide product carbon footprint reports per certification unit.
• Supplier Management Requirements: Manufacturing enterprises shall set requirements and evaluate suppliers, outsourcers, and contractors regarding environment, safety, health management, and quality, and such evaluation shall include environmental content.
• Employee Training Requirements: Manufacturing enterprises shall regularly provide education and training on green manufacturing-related knowledge to employees and evaluate the results of such education and training.

Certification Process

Environmental product certification (furniture) implements a model of initial inspection + product sampling inspection + post-certification supervision:

• Certification Application: Submit application form (specifying the applied green product grade), business license, product process flow chart, factory organization chart, key raw material filing list, product type test report valid within one year, management system related documents, etc. The certification body reviews the application documents. Certification units are applied for separately according to the seven major categories.
• Document Review: Evaluate the conformity of product data with standards such as GB/T 35607-2024, and verify environmental protection measures in product design, raw material procurement, production process control, etc.
• Product Sampling Inspection: Samples are sent to laboratories with CMA and CNAS qualifications for testing, including indicators such as hazardous substance emissions (formaldehyde, benzene series, total volatile organic compounds, etc.), hazardous substance content in raw materials, and product mechanical properties.
• Initial Factory Inspection: Conduct on-site audits of the manufacturing enterprise, including factory assurance capability inspection, product consistency inspection, and verification of compliance with green evaluation requirements. On-site inspection focuses on the operation of the enterprise's energy management system, production energy consumption control measures, operation status of wastewater recovery systems, and pollutant emission control measures.
• Rectification and Review: For non-conformities identified during the audit, enterprises complete rectification within a specified period and submit evidence for review by the audit team.
• Certification Decision and Certificate Issuance: After technical review is passed, a certification certificate is issued, confirming that the product meets the corresponding grade requirements. The certificate is valid for five years. Certification results can be verified on the official website of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration.
• Post-Certification Supervision: An annual supervision audit is conducted after certification to ensure that products and enterprises continue to meet certification requirements. When sampling for supervision inspection, representative certification units should be selected; for other certification units, differential indicators are sampled and tested, or enterprises provide compliant third-party inspection reports.
• Re-evaluation: Re-evaluation is conducted before the certificate expires to extend the evaluation qualification, typically on a five-year cycle.

Value of Certification

• Enhancing Product Market Competitiveness: Certified products can serve as authoritative proof of environmental performance in government procurement, bidding, large-scale project procurement, etc., gaining priority purchasing rights. Furniture products certified as China Green Products are equivalent to three-star green building materials.
• Breaking Through Market Competition: Certified products can use the evaluation mark, and consumers are willing to pay a premium for environmental attributes; government, hospital, school, and other procurement projects award additional points to certified products, serving as a bonus and entry barrier for participating in government tenders, hospital, and school procurement.
• Avoiding Trade Barriers: The evaluation standard aligns with international environmental requirements, assisting in the export of furniture products. The English version of the national standard GB/T 35607-2024 has been officially released, facilitating international recognition and mutual acceptance of certification results, reducing the transaction costs of foreign trade.
• Guiding Consumer Choices: The evaluation mark helps consumers avoid "pseudo-green" marketing, identify genuinely environmentally friendly furniture products, and reduce health risks. Certification strictly controls the migration of heavy metals and carcinogens from the source, protecting sensitive groups such as children.
• Forcing Technological Upgrades in Enterprises: Prompts enterprises to replace traditional high-pollution processes (e.g., water-based paints replacing solvent-based coatings), use recycled materials, and reduce the carbon footprint of furniture throughout its life cycle.
• Responding to National Policies: Complies with the national dual-carbon strategic goals and the requirements of the green product standard, certification, and labeling system, enjoying relevant policy support.
• Enhancing Corporate Image: Passing the evaluation demonstrates the enterprise's commitment and actions in environmental protection and social responsibility, enhancing consumer trust and establishing a green brand image.