At National Business Furniture, we have some exciting news to share. Recently, NBF was certified as a sustainable service provider by NSF International under NSF: P391: General Sustainability Assessment Criteria for Services and Service Providers.
NBF is the first furniture dealer to be certified under this protocol, and we are happy to pave the way for others. As a leading furniture provider, we are proud to offer safe, sustainable services to better serve our customers while also doing our part to protect the environment.
NSF International is an independent organization that writes public health and environmental standards for food, water, and consumer goods industries. They also determine and certify sustainable service providers, like NBF, that meet Protocol 391 standards.
Protocol 391
Protocol 391, developed by NSF International, helps define what constitutes sustainable services and applies to all industries and sectors. It also allows service providers to show their commitment to sustainability in relation to Executive Order 13514, which set high sustainability goals for federal and government agencies. As per Executive Order 13514, 95 percent of all supplier contracts with the government must meet sustainability requirements by 2020.
Certification Process
The protocol applies to more than just the service provider’s environmental standards. To achieve certification, NBF had to meet all prerequisite credits in environmental criteria, labor criteria, and social responsibility criteria. The certification process also included comprehensive documentation and an on-site audit.
Meaning of Certification
Although the certification process was quite extensive, the meaning of the certification is straightforward. The Conformant Level certification shows NBF’s commitment not only to sustainability but also to our customers. It is also important to NBF as a vendor for the federal government and other entities taking big steps toward making environmental and energy use improvements and asking their providers to do the same.
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Environment impact: energy use
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Labor impact: health, safety, and employment practices
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Social responsibility impact: community assessment
