When you shop for green furniture, does an official-looking label convince you to buy the product to which it’s affixed? Consumers looking to go green need to do their homework and find out what a label really means instead of simply taking the manufacturer’s word for it. BuildingGreen.com offers a comprehensive article entitled Behind the Logos: Understanding Green Product Certifications that sheds a lot of light on green furniture labels and what they really mean.

One major issue lies with who actually does the certifying. As the article notes, it’s important to ask if there’s a conflict of interest involved. First party declarations include general green claims and product specs developed by the manufacturer without any independent testing. Unless you know and understand exactly how the maker made the furniture and where the wood came from, it doesn’t make much sense to place blind faith in what amounts to simple marketing language written in an authoritative format.

Second party certifications involve trade associations or an outside consultant setting standards and checking up on first party claims. However, the closed loop where a single body sets and tests its own standards makes the process less transparent and more questionable. Overall, third party certifications represent your best bet for truly green furniture because an independent party certifies the product based on a standard set by another party.

It seems that the biggest obstacle for green furniture certifications to overcome involves the multitude of standards and certifications out there. With so many independent voices whispering in your ear, you get confused and either buy something that’s not really good for the environment, or you get skeptical and don’t buy anything. Either way, the planet suffers. Moving forward, industry experts hope that the EPA and trusted measuring systems like LEED can step forward and help create more uniform and trustworthy standards and certifications. But until that day comes, consumers need to study up on trusted green certifications, find what they like, and make an educated decision when they shop.

(Photo courtesy of FreePhotosBank.com)