Furniture and Furnishings

We test for you:

Furniture and furnishings
Upholstered furniture
Mattresses and Bedding

Furniture should not only be pretty and functional but also non-hazardous to your health. Furniture may - just like construction products - crucially contribute to indoor air pollution due to its large surface area.

Problematic substances stem, for instance, from wood-based materials, adhesives, surface coatings or covers.

One of our priorities of test competence is the measurement of emissions in 70 test chambers according to ISO 16000 (and EN 717-1)

Our services:

Emission analyses in the test chamber according to ISO 16000
Compound analyses for heavy metals, AOX/EOX, biocides, phthalates, flame retardants etc.
Odour testing according to VDA
Toxicological and ecological expertise
Advice on product development and optimisation
Certification according to the criteria of the eco-INSTITUT-Label and Blue Angel
Testing according to the criteria of OekoControl (OekoControl Asociation for Quality Standard Ecological Furnishing Houses) and Golden M/RAL-GZ 430 ( DGM German Furniture Quality Association)
Testing and evaluation according to further national and international criteria

NEWS: eco-INSTITUT is accredited BIFMA testing laboratory

Since December 2011, the eco-INSTITUT is accredited testing laboratory for BIFMA. Since 1973 the Building and Institutional Furniture Manufactuerers Association developes the ANSI/BIFMA Safety and Performance Standards for (office) furniture according to the guidelines of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Read more

French VOC regulation "Décret n° 2011-321 du 23 mars 2011“ published

From Jan 1st, 2012, construction products, decoration and furnishing products to be traded in France are to be labelled with an emissions classification on the basis of VOC emissions tests. This concerns: floor coverings, paint and varnish, windows, doors, wall and ceiling panelling, etc. Read more

eco-INSTITUT now is member of U.S. Green Building Council

Since summer 2011, eco-INSTITUT Cologne is member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the most important non-profit organisation of leading agents of the construction industry promoting environmentally friendly, pollutants-controlled and sustainable buildings. Read more