R3 Certifying Organizations

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)’s mission is to improve indoor air quality. Originally focused on building products and materials (flooring, furniture, air filters and paints) GEI, in 2006, entered into a partnership with JohnsonDiversey whose products were the first to be Greenguard certified. The Greenguard Certification Program for Cleaners and Cleaning Systems was developed from their other standards as well as on criteria developed by the EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

GEI’s cleaning certifications have two levels – Greenguard and Greenguard for Children and Schools – the latter includes not just GEI’s rigorous set of standards but recognizes different building types have different needs.

Greenguard analyzes a product’s tangible effect on air quality. Their third party test lab uses a chemical in a controlled environment and then samples the air to determine what and how much the product emits into the air after application. Chemical emissions from cleaning products are measured relative to their effect on indoor air quality. The program covers everything from general cleaners to institutional cleaning systems, aerosol products and toilet cleaners.