First Sustainability Standard for Household Portable and Floor Care Appliances Developed to Identify Environmentally Responsible Products

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), CSA Group, and UL Environment today announced the release of AHAM 7002-2014/CSA SPE-7002-14/UL 7002, Sustainability Standard for Household Portable and Floor Care Appliances, the first voluntary sustainability standard for such appliances. This new standard is the third in a family of product sustainability standards under development by AHAM, CSA Group, and UL. These standards are intended for use by manufacturers, governments, retailers, and others to identify environmentally responsible products. The standard is based on a lifecycle approach for identifying the environmental impacts of household portable and floor care appliances in six key areas: materials, manufacturing and operations, energy consumption during use, end-of-life, consumables, and innovation.

This standard serves as an objective and practical measurement tool to assist portable and floor care appliance manufacturers in evaluating the environmental sustainability of their products. Other sustainability standards are under development and are expected to be published in 2014 and 2015. This includes standards for dishwashers, conventional cooking products, microwave ovens and clothes dryers.

Throughout the standards development process, a cross-section of stakeholders, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Environment Canada, The Sustainability Consortium, Consumer's Union, environmental groups such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, and retailers such as Sears, Best Buy, and Lowe's were engaged to help ensure that the standard is credible and compatible with existing government and retailer initiatives. PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds Strategic Consulting also assisted with the project.

"AHAM is very pleased that its collaboration with CSA Group and UL has resulted in another sound tool for measuring the sustainability of a portable or floor care appliance.  This work represents the home appliance industry's strong commitment to sustainability.  Our work will continue on new standards for other products," explained Joseph M. McGuire, president of AHAM.

"CSA Group is committed to contributing to a better, more sustainable world," said Bonnie Rose, President Standards, CSA Group. "We are proud to work with AHAM and UL to bring a life cycle approach to evaluating environmental impact of household appliances. This standard will encourage not just sustainability in operation of the product, but also in the way it is manufactured and disposed of at end-of-life."

"Human and environmental health and sustainability represent the safety challenge of this century. More and more, consumers are concerned about the lifecycle-based environmental impacts of the products they use in their homes every day, particularly those of appliances," said Lisa Meier, VP and GM of UL Environment. "Our ongoing commitment to lifecycle-based standards development reflects our attention to this concern."

About AHAM
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is a not-for-profit trade association representing manufacturers of major, portable and floor care home appliances, and suppliers to the industry and is headquartered in Washington, DC.  AHAM is a standards development organization, accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and has authored numerous appliance performance testing standards used by manufacturers, consumer organizations and governmental bodies to rate and compare appliances. You can visit the AHAM web site at www.aham.org

About CSA Group
CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit membership association dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. Its knowledge and expertise encompass standards development; training and advisory solutions; global testing and certification services across key business areas including hazardous location and industrial, plumbing and construction, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, alternative energy, lighting and sustainability; as well as consumer product evaluation services. The CSA certification mark appears on billions of products worldwide. For more information about CSA Group visit www.csagroup.org

About UL Environment
UL Environment works to advance global sustainability, environmental health, and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services, and organizations. We help companies achieve their sustainability goals—and help purchasers, specifiers, retailers, governments, and consumers find products they can trust. UL Environment offers environmental claim validations, multi-attribute product certifications, environmental product declarations, indoor air quality certification, product emissions testing, organizational sustainability certification, and consulting. For more information, visit www.ul.com/environment, and connect with us via Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

About UL
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for 120 years. Its more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit http://www.UL.com.

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SOURCE Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers