UL Starts Certifying Green Products

"Underwriters Laboratories, whose ubiquitous product-safety labels have made it household name for more than a century, is pushing hard to make a new name for itself as a global environmental-standards tester.

On Monday, its five-month-old subsidiary, UL Environment, or U.L.E., awarded its first product certification to a type of recycled drywall called EcoRock, manufactured by Serious Materials in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Having U.L.E.’s environmental certification, according to Kevin Surace, the chief executive of Serious Materials, will help the company sell EcoRock panels for building projects aiming for LEED certification from the United States Green Building Council. The U.S.G.B.C. rates buildings in 13 categories, using a 100-point system. EcoRock can contribute up to eight points, Mr. Surace said."

Kevin Ferguson reports for Green Inc. in the New York Times June 2, 2009.