University Loft Company Products Receive GREENGUARD Certification

INDIANAPOLIS, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- University Loft Company (ULC) is very proud to announce that it's two lines of furniture which are made for the military have been awarded GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification. The certification is for products manufactured with materials containing low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The products certified are the ULC all wood 782-B Series bedroom furniture with ultraviolet cured finishes and the ULC Metal Series bedroom furniture. Additional information on the certification, including copies of the certification documents, can be found on the GREENGUARD website (www.greenguard.org).

Most of us spend the majority of our lives indoors. We sleep in comfortable beds, relax in our favorite chairs and we eat at dining tables, all indoors. Many of us work exclusively indoors in offices and cubicles. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people spend 90-percent of their time indoors, where the air is two to five times more polluted than the air outside. Chemical off-gassing is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality, and has been linked to a myriad of health problems, including headaches, nosebleeds, upper respiratory irritation, developmental disorders, asthma, and even cancer.

Paints, stains, finishes, glues, fabrics, dyes, plastics, oils, and wood treatment chemicals all emit particles into the air we breathe. Conscientious Green manufactures like ULC want to provide you with the best quality, stylish, furniture that will not emit harmful levels of toxins into the air you breathe. How do you know? Well, ULC has their products tested and certified by an independent organization like the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute.

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) was founded in 2001 with the mission of protecting human health and quality of life through programs that reduce chemical exposure and improve indoor air quality. In keeping with that mission, GEI oversees third-party certification programs that identify acceptable product emission standards and certify low-emitting products.

ULC is very proud to have submitted their products for the rigorist testing and certification process. "Many people don't realize that furniture can emit thousands of hazardous chemicals and other pollutants into the air we breathe," said James Jannetides, CEO of ULC, "and we want to have the lowest emitting products on the market to help insure good health." "

ULC is committed to being a Green company," said Jannetides, "Our future is dependent on a healthy world and we want to do the right thing. Being good stewards of our environment insures a future for all." ULC expects to submit many more products to GREENGUARD for certification.

In addition to ULC's commitment to indoor air quality, forest sustainability is also a large portion of their Green initiative. ULC is a member (since 2009) of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). The SFC is a non-profit, balanced coalition of home furnishings industry and environmental leaders. More information about SFC can be found at www.sustainablefurnishings.org. The majority of ULC's products are manufactured with Malaysian Timber Council certified wood, a sustainable, environmentally friendly, farmed timber. ULC has a long history of promoting Green programs and in 1994, founded the Friends of the World organization (www.friendsoftheworld.com), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting Green practices.

James Jannetides founded ULC in 1986 while living in a Southern Illinois University dorm. In the years since ULC's beginnings in a college dorm room, James Jannetides has grown ULC into an industry-leading enterprise which currently holds accounts with over 1,200 colleges and universities. The company has used skills in the design of wood, metal and glass furniture to expand into hospitality, clubs, churches, U.S. military, fashion plumbing, kitchen and bath markets. ULC has two major U.S. manufacturing facilities; a 508,000 sq. ft. building just outside Indianapolis, Indiana and a second plant in Morristown, Tennessee.

Committed to providing a superior product with an unmatched service level, ULC is the leader in the contract furniture industry.

SOURCE University Loft Company