Teragren's LEED® IEQ 4.4 Enhanced Program
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® IEQ Credit 4: Low-Emitting Materials pertains to composite wood and agrifiber products, and contributes one point toward LEED certification. The USGBC intends for this requirement to help "reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the comfort and wellbeing of installers and occupants."
For many years, our proprietary manufacturing adhesive allowed Teragren products to contribute to the USGBC's LEED®IEQ Credit 4.
However, we were advised in 2006 that the USGBC had modified its position and would no longer qualify products made with urea-formaldehyde-based adhesives. Although our adhesive emits formaldehyde at 0.03 ppm or less—levels far below those allowed by U.S. OSHA, European E0, CARB Phase 1 & Phase 2, and Japanese JIS/JAS (F****) emissions standards—all of our flooring products with the exception of Synergy strand solid-strip no longer qualify because they contain urea-formaldehyde adhesives. (Interestingly, IEQ Credit 4.4 does not mandate the maximum allowable quantity of formaldehyde that can be emitted by the adhesive, only that urea-formaldehyde adhesives cannot be used.)
Some Teragren products continue to qualify for this credit. Because it is made with phenol-formaldehyde adhesives, our Synergy strand solid-strip bamboo flooring qualifies. Formaldehyde-free adhesives such as the one we use in our butcher block countertops and tabletops also qualify for IEQ Credit 4.4.
We are moving swiftly toward exclusive use of IEQ-compliant adhesives in all our products. In the meantime, we have developed the Teragren LEED IEQ 4.4 Enhanced program to ensure that our products qualify for both LEED® MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials and LEED® IEQ Credit 4.4: Low-Emitting Materials. Under this special-order program, most Teragren products can be manufactured with an adhesive that meets the IEQ Credit 4.4 requirements.*
Special pricing applies to Teragren IEQ 4.4 Enhanced products. We do not routinely stock IEQ 4.4 Enhanced flooring, stair parts or trim, so please allow 10 to 14 weeks lead time when you special order these products from your local distributor.
Please call 800.929.6333 or email us for details on our IEQ 4.4 Enhanced products program.
*Does not include Studio floating floor.