The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association launched the BIFMA Compliant product registry to provide clarity in the market about products that meet established industry standards.
The Grand Rapids-based nonprofit trade association BIFMA said Monday that it launched BIFMA Compliant, an industrywide registry of furniture products conforming to BIFMA safety and durability standards.
BIFMA, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards developer, worked with members and stakeholders for almost three years to develop and implement this program, which is open to all furniture manufacturers who elect to participate.
Access to view products in the registry is available at BIFMA’s website free of charge.
“BIFMA Compliant was developed in response to a growing market need for greater clarity,” said Deirdre Jimenez, BIFMA president and CEO. “The design community who specifies furniture and the customers who buy furniture have both expressed the need to more readily identify products they trust — products that will be safe and will perform. With the increased need to work remotely, the application of this resource is even more timely. BIFMA Compliant is available to the public — both commercial customers and residential consumers.”
Dave Panning, BIFMA technical director of safety and performance, said products included in the registry “must be tested in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test lab with the ANSI/BIFMA standards listed in the test lab’s scope of accreditation. In addition, products are subjected to test report audits.
“BIFMA Compliant is a valuable resource providing the necessary information to differentiate quality.”
With an array of options available on the market today and recognizing that individuals and organizations are now outfitting home office environments, BIFMA said it seeks to help all consumers make confident furniture-buying decisions. The registry is a resource for specifiers and buyers to quickly identify quality products that comply with safety and durability standards.
The new BIFMA Compliant program complements the existing LEVEL sustainability registry. Both registries run on an Ecomedes software as a service platform designed to optimize product purchasing.
Holland-based Trendway is an example of a manufacturer that has products in the BIFMA Compliant registry, including seating, systems, case goods and storage and desks and tables.
To secure the BIFMA Compliant marks, Trendway worked with an independent ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 17025 accredited lab testing BIFMA specifications ranging from safety and performance to durability.
“Many of Trendway’s newest and most popular products attained the BIFMA Compliant certification,” said Rob Day, executive vice president of customer experience, Fellowes Contract Interiors, which is the division of Fellowes Brands under which Trendway is aligned. “Trendway will continue adding to the BIFMA compliance list as we complete additional testing and introduce new products.”
