The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) has announced that Green Squared has been added to the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing, which was updated at the end of 2016. The recommendations were made to all U.S. government purchasing officials to help identify and procure environmentally sustainable products and services.

Green Squared is the first multi-attribute sustainability standard developed for tiles and tile installation material, and covers the full range of products used in a tile installation. The standard evaluates, validates and communicates products that have a positive impact on the environment and society.

“In establishing a sustainability initiative, it was our desire to put in place one standard and one mark across the tile industry to cover the products used over the course of an installation. Green Squared is the result of that — the first holistic tile sustainability standard,” said Bill Griese, director of standards development and sustainability initiatives at TCNA, in a press release. “We’re incredibly proud to see it now be accepted as part of the United States federal government’s benchmark for sustainability, and to garner credibility both from the government, and by association with similar, recognized industry marks for categories like furnishings and paint.”

“The federal government’s ability to sort through the myriad numbers of products with private ecolabels can provide a critical roadmap for how the public sector can do this,” said Jim Jones, assistant administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. EPA.  “By allowing federal buyers to make more informed decisions on environmentally preferable products and services, federal agencies are leading by example, stimulating the supply of greener products and services, and protecting our health and the environment.”