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FURNITURE AND FITTINGS
GECA
28-2006 Standard (PDF) |
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Koskela
Koskela
offer a unique range of environmentally preferable
furniture. |
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Product Marketing Name:
Koskela Use and Application: Furniture
Date of Certification: 29
May 2008
1.
Description of the
Technology.
Koskela uses the skills of Australian
artists, designers and craftspeople. Our manufacturers
take pride in their work so our products are made to
standards that are comparable with products from
overseas. It also means we are more flexible so we can
customize products easily and can work to shorter
lead-times.
2. The Products
Maudan Table: Sustainably designed
and available in custom sizes. Easy to disassemble into
component parts for recycling at end of life. Available
in various materials including certified birch ply,
certified veneers and recycled solid timbers as a
coffee, dining, meeting or boardroom table. Cable
management can be incorporated.
AC Table: Sustainably designed and
available in custom sizes. Easy to disassemble into
component parts for recycling at end of life. Available
in various materials including certified birch ply,
certified veneers and recycled solid timbers as a
coffee, dining, meeting or boardroom table. Cable
management can be incorporated.
Upholstered Cube: Long-lasting high
density foam seating with removable fabric/leather
cover, great in breakout areas or to replace more
traditional chairs. Can also be used as a side or coffee
table.
Café Chair: Stackable chair for
breakout, cafe, dining or meeting areas. Choice of
laminate, timber veneer or upholstery (with removable
cover). All plywood used comes from responsibly managed
forests and only water-based adhesives are used.
Café/Meeting table: Laminate,
plywood or recycled solid timber table available in
various shapes (round, square, pebble, oval,
rectangular) and custom sizes (including coffee table
height), with polished aluminium, stainless steel or
powder coated base. Perfect for meeting, breakout &
cafe areas. Also available with adjustable feet for
increased stability on uneven surfaces.
Quadrant: Ottoman made from high
density foam, without a timber frame. This makes it
lighter and easy to move around. Cross stitch detail on
the fabric/leather of your choice and long-lasting
comfort make this a great alternative for smaller sized
ottomans.
Bench: Available in certified birch ply, certified
timber veneer and solid recycled timbers. Slab End, Zen
& Maudan designs offer different looks, all using
the same sustainable materials. Custom designs also
available.
Polska Stool: 100% recyclable
polypropylene stool, available in a large range of
colours, both neutral & bright. Great for outdoor or
indoor use, UV resistant, stackable and playful. Also
available in 100% recycled version (black).
Prism: Certified birch ply cube
with laminations showing on 4 sides; can be used as
either a side table or a stool. Hollow inside, it can be
moved & stacked to create different spaces. Also
available in certified veneer and recycled solid
timber.
Core Environmental Criteria Tested:
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Environmental Requirements |
Core Environmental Performance Characteristics |
Fitness for Purpose
Certified products should be good performers in their
intended application. It is implied that certain standards of
product performance are implicit in the label. |
GECS has reviewed evidence of
internal Fitness for Purpose procedures and quality testing
including data Excel spreadsheets, new order quote numbers,
technical drawings & purchase order numbers. Quality
assurance at the manufacturing site is documented, with visual
checks being undertaken at various stages throughout the
manufacturing process. This has been confirmed during an
assessment of Koskela's manufacturing site located in the
Greater Sydney area by a registered GECS auditor. GECS is
confident that the products under assessment are of a high
quality and fit for their intended purpose. The nominated
product ranges carry a 10 year warranty from the date of
purchase. |
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Timber and Other Natural
Materials Wood and other natural materials from sources that
are not certified under a recognised certification scheme as
being sustainably managed, shall not originate from: Illegal
harvesting & Genetically modified organisms. |
GECS has reviewed a number of
documents supplied by Koskela to establish whether or not there
are controversial sources of timber used in the manufacture of
Koskela products under assessment. The documents include
delivery dockets for the Laminex E0 Board and a Chain of Custody
Certificate and a statement from the supplier of European Beech
Veneer to Koskela confirming that the logs used to produce the
veneers is from plantation grown for the purpose of Lumber and
Veneer production which are certified under the requirements and
constraints of the Pan European Council (PEFC). Koskela products
manufactured using these certified timber boards meet the
requirements of this criterion. An audit of Koskela's
manufacturing site by GECS has confirmed these timber supplies.
All sources of fibre are demonstrated to be in compliance to
this criterion. |
Controversial Sources
Wood and other natural materials from sources that are not
certified under a recognised certification scheme (e.g. FSC or
AFS) as being sustainably managed shall not originate from
illegal harvesting, genetically modified organisms, or
uncertified high conservation value communities. |
Koskela products manufactured
using these certified timber boards meet the requirements of
this criterion. An audit of Koskela's manufacturing site by GECS
has confirmed these timber supplies.
Koskela has committed to
sourcing GECA certified particleboard only and is committed to
ensuring this is the case through the traceability of the board
itself.
All sources of fibre are
demonstrated to be in compliance to this criterion. |
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Salvaged & Reclaimed
Timbers Salvaged or reclaimed timbers may be used in
certified furniture and fittings. Salvaged and reclaimed timbers
include timbers legally sourced as pre-cut waste timber or
deadwood from cityscape, urban, and rural gardens; demolition
sites; and waste wood from certified tree loppers and doctors. |
Koskela's products do include
salvaged or reclaimed timber. GECS has reviewed a statement from
the supplier, which confirms that they do not use any of the
prohibited hazardous substances listed in the GECA 28-2006 -
Furniture and Fittings. Further, the statement confirms that the
supplier does "… not use timber recognised as being
treated with copper, chrome, arsenic or paint". |
Treatment
Wood and natural materials used in furniture products must
not be treated or impregnated with fungicides and insecticides
that are classified due to their hazardous nature by the IARC as
Type 1 or 2A. |
Koskela's custom product range is
manufactured with Laminex and Laminex Formica GECA certified
timber boards. These boards and veneers are certified as
part of a separate assessment, and hence are compliant with all
the requirements of the GECA Furniture and Fittings Standard.
Some Koskela custom product range is manufactured with
certified ply from Russia.
There are no other overseas
sources of fibre with the exception of some European Beech
veneer which, according to the documents cited for the audit, is
compliant to this criterion due to the location source. |
Glues in Plywood and Laminated
Wood
The content of free formaldehyde in glues for plywood or
other engineered wood products must not exceed 0.5% w/w |
Koskela's custom product range is
manufactured with Laminex and Laminex Formica GECA Some of
Koskela's custom product range is also manufactured with plywood
from Russia and Australian plantations. Formaldehyde emission
test results for both plywood sources have been submitted by
Koskela as part of this assessment and include formaldehyde
emission tests for Birch Plywood Melamine Glue and Birch Plywood
Phenol Glue for the imported plywood and formaldehyde emission
tests for untreated plywood for the Australian source. The test
results demonstrate that the content of formaldehyde in the
glues for both the imported and local plywood sources used by
Koskela to manufacture the products covered by this report
contain significantly lower formaldehyde than the maximum
allowed under this criterion.
Koskela's custom product range,
manufactured with GECA certified Laminex Formica particleboard
or Veneer, imported and local plywood; meets the
requirements of this criterion. |
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Air Emissions Products made
from wood and other natural products that contain
formaldehyde-based additives, shall be subject to the following
air emission limits for formaldehyde as measured using the Air
Chamber, Desiccator or Perforator test methods. Raw timber and
natural materials is exempt from this criterion. |
Koskela's custom product range is
manufactured with Laminex and Laminex Formica GECA certified
timber boards. These particleboards and veneers are
certified as part of a separate assessment, and hence are
compliant with all the requirements of the GECA Furniture and
Fittings Standard. These particleboards and veneers are
compliant with the air emission requirements of this criterion.
A range of specific air
emission tests have been provided for the verification process
for both raw timber materials and finished products of the
nominated range. The primary material of concern were plywood,
individual veneers and base board which have demonstrated
compliance to this criterion. |
Resin Identification Codes
Certified products must mark each individual plastic product
or component weighing greater than 100g with an appropriate
resin ID code promulgated by the Plastics and Chemical Industry
Association. |
Only one of Koskela certified
products - Polska Stool - contains plastic. The Polska Stool is
manufactured entirely from plastics. This product has
appropriate resin identification code which was established
during site assessment. Koskela's custom product range, which is
the subject of this report, meets the requirements of this
criterion. |
Glass
Lead glazing, crystal glass, mirror glass, wire reinforced
glass or laminated glass must not be used in furniture or
fittings. Colouring agents or other additives containing lead,
cadmium, mercury, chromium, arsenic or selenium must not be
used. |
Koskela custom product range,
which is the subject of this report, do not contain glass. This
criterion is not applicable to Koskela custom product range. |
Adhesives
With the exception of Section 3.2.1.4, adhesives must be
certified by the Good Environmental Choice Label, the EU Flower
label, the New Zealand Environmental Choice Label or the Nordic
Swan label or satisfy the requirements of GECA Standard No. 1:
Adhesives |
The water-based adhesive used in
the manufacture of these products does satisfy the requirements
of GECA Standard No. 1: Adhesives, and is therefore compliant
with the requirements of this criterion. Koskela uses only
water-based adhesives for the following products covered under
this assessment. Maudan Table; AC Table; Upholstered Cube; Café
Chair; Café/Meeting Table; Quadrant; Bench; Polska Stool, and;
Prism Highgate.
Assessment: Koskela's range of
products which use only water-based adhesives, subject of this
report, do meet the requirements of this criterion |
Overall Loads
In order to promote the reduction of pollutant hazards in
the disposal, landfill and/or incineration of end of life
furniture, Listed substances shall not be added to eco-labelled
products during manufacture. |
GECS has received a signed
declaration from Mr. Russel Koskela, Managing Director at
Koskela, confirming compliance with 3.3 Hazardous Substances
criterion of the GECA Furniture and Fittings Standard.
Assessment: Koskela custom
product range, which is the subject of this report, meets the
requirements of this criterion. |
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Prohibited Substances
Substances stipulated in criterion 3.3.3 of the GECA 28 - 2006
Furniture and Fittings Standard must not be used. |
Following a review of all MSDS for
all chemical ingredients and materials, GECS is confident that
none of the abovementioned carcinogenic substances is used in
the products under assessment. GECS has received a signed
declaration from the Managing Director at Koskela, confirming
compliance with 3.3 Hazardous Substances criterion of the GECA
Furniture and Fittings Standard. |
Separability
Certified products shall be easily disassembled to
facilitate the recovery and recycling of constituent materials. |
The custom product range under
assessment can be easily disassembled. They are mechanically
fixed using cam locks, nuts and bolts. This has been verified
during Site Assessment and inspection of the finished products. |
Product Custodianship
If the product is not recyclable (or separable into
recyclable parts) in mainstream local recycling systems, the
manufacturer shall accept their product without additional cost
(excluding transportation costs) for further recycling, or have
arrangements with a local recycler to accept the product, or
have an established product stewardship program. Products
collected under the scheme shall not be disposed of in landfill
or by incineration |
GECS has received a copy of the
take-back policy established by Koskela and an understanding of
its capacity to implement it. GECS is confident that Koskela has
the capacity to implement and maintain this policy. Information
details regarding this policy will be made available to clients. |
Coatings treatment
Products (or components) must not be impregnated, labelled,
coated or otherwise treated in a manner which would prevent post
consumer recycling. Exemption may be made for products with a
long product life where a coating or treatment would further
extend the useful life of the product. |
The products are not coated or
impregnated in any way that would prevent post consumer
recycling. Any treatments applied (eg, lacquer, powdercoating
etc) are applied in order to further extend the useful life of
the product. |
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Replacement parts For those
parts of a product which are subject to wear, e.g. hinges,
locks, table leaves, functionally compatible replacements shall
be guaranteed for a period of at least five years. |
Replacement parts are available as
part of the standard 10 year warranty provided with all
furniture manufactured by Koskela. |
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Packaging Requirements
Chlorinated or halogenated plastics must not be used in product
packaging. Used packaging shall be able to be recycled by local
recycling systems. |
The pallets and blankets used to
transport timber are reused, and the particleboard and veneer
boards are transported in a top and bottom layer timber board
for protection and these are also reused by Laminex. The
products under assessment comply with the requirements of this
criterion. |
Product Information
The manufacturer must provide written information to the
consumer clearly stating: 1. The intended use of the product. 2.
Instructions for correct use and storage so as to maximise the
product lifetime. 3. Maintenance instructions, if required.
Maintenance instructions must not specify the use of any
chemical or coating limited by any part of this standard. 4.
Recycling instructions for the product end-of-life |
Product information detailing
maintenance instructions and recycling instructions have been
received by GECS. This information is provided to the consumer
at point of sale. GECS is confident sufficient product
information is supplied to consumers along with the products
under assessment. |
 View
Koskela EPD
3. Environmental and Social Regulatory Obligations:
GECA also found the Koskela range to
be fully compliant with their obligations under Labour,
Anti-Discrimination, and Safety Regulations. The company
has not been the subject of prosecution in relation to
compliance with labour, anti- discrimination, safety
regulations and environmental regulations.
Additional Information
Good Environmental Choice Australia
recommends these products to green purchasing officers,
specifiers, and every day Australians seeking to
purchase products and services on the basis of
functional and overall environmental and human health
performance.
For more information contact Koskela
directly:
Koskela
Address: Level 1, Imperial Slacks Building, 91 Campbell St, Surry
Hills, 2010 Australia
Ph: +61 (02) 9280 0999
Fax: +61 (02) 9280 0191
Web: www.koskela.com.au
E-mail: info@koskela.com.au
You can go to the company's web site here:
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AC Table
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Polska Stool
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Prism
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Upholstered cube
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Maudan table
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