SINTEF Certification

SINTEF Environmental Certificate

Use products that does not have a harmful effect on soil and water.
 
 

What is SINTEF Environmental Certificate

SINTEF Environmental Certificate is a voluntary Norwegian certification scheme for documentation of health and environmental characteristics of construction products related to relevant environmental requirements in the Norwegian market.
SINTEF Environmental Certificate is issued for both domestic and imported products.
SINTEF Environmental Certificate shows that the product meets the minimum requirements recommended by SINTEF concerning health and environmental properties of construction products:
 
  • All products with a SINTEF Environmental Certificate have low content of chemicals hazardous to health and environment.
  • Products in contact with indoor air have no harmful impact on the indoor air quality.
  • Products in contact with soil and water have no harmful impact on soil and water. 
Products with SINTEF Environmental Certificate is evaluated against the Norwegian priority list, Product regulation, and the European REACH-regulation.

Requirements in the legislation on documentation of product's environmental properties

At present there is a distinction between regulations applying to the marketing and sale of construction products and the technical and environmental requirements related to the use of products in Norwegian building projects.
 
Technical and environmental requirements for buildings are determined on a national level and varies from country to country. In Norway are environmental requirements for product properties published in regulations on technical requirements for construction works (TEK 17), the product regulation, the European chemical regulations REACH and CLP and other environmental regulations.
 
Health and environmental assessments in SINTEF Environmental Certificate are based on TEK 17, including the following requirements:
 
  • Choose products without or with low contents of health and environmental harmful substances
  • Restrict waste and use products that can be reused or recycled
  • Use products with low or none pollution to indoor air.
  • Use products that does not have a harmful effect on soil and water.
 
SINTEF Environmental Certificate is made on basis of a thorough health and environmental assessment of the product. The assessment is adapted to the relevant field of application for the product. Health and environmental assessment in SINTEF Environmental Certificate.
 
The health and environmental assessments in SINTEF Environment Certificate can be used to document health and environmental characteristics for products which are part of a SINTEF Technical Approval.
Whether the chemical building product is assessed in hardened/dried or uncured/wet condition will be stated in the environmental certificate.
 
If a chemical building product applied on a construction site, all the ingredients of the grout in unhardened/wet form will be considered against the limits in Table 1 of SINTEF Environmental Certificate – Health and environmental requirements. The ingredients of the tempered/dry product will be considered against Table 2 of the requirement document.

BREEAM-NOR

SINTEF Environmental Certificate is approved for documentation of the following clauses in BREEAM-NOR (BREEAM-NOR 2016 Technical manual): 

 
  1. Absence of pollutants on the A20- list (ref. Mat 01 Life-cycle and Checklist A20)
  2. Emissions (Chapter Hea 02 Indoor air quality, table 14)
 
Information about SINTEF Environmental certificate as documentation is available in Norwegian Green Building Council website, www.byggalliansen.no, FAQ for BREEAM-NOR 2016. 
 

Products that may be certified

SINTEF Environmental Certificate is offered for single products, for example:
 
  • Glues
  • Sealants
  • Products used for paint and surface coating
  • Building boards of gypsum and other materials
  • Floor coverings
  • Renderings and leveling compounds
 
Products mentioned above are often products covered by a harmonized European standard (hEN) requiring assessment and verification of performance according to system 3 and 4 in the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
 
For products requiring assessment and verification of performance according to system 2+, 1 og 1+ a Product certificate is mandatory, consequently SINTEF Environmental Certificate is not offered for such products.
 
SINTEF Environmental Certificate is not offered for complex products such as construction systems such as prefabricated modules or elements. SINTEF offers to issue SINTEF Technical Approval for such products.

SINTEF is a technical inspection body

SINTEF is accredited by Norwegian Accreditation for certification of products covered by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). SINTEF is also designated as technical inspection body by the Norwegian building authorities (Directorate for Building Quality (DiBK)), with identification number 1071, to perform conformity assessments of products within more than 30 product areas according to CPR. Product certification follows the guidelines in EN ISO / IEC 17065: 2012 "Compliance assessment - Requirements for certification bodies for products, processes and services", and includes certification of products and production processes. The designation of SINTEF AS as technical inspection body is published in the EU Commission's NANDO base.
 

Basis for certification

SINTEF Environmental Certificate is issued on basis of test results and other verification of the product properties as specified in 
 
 

Product and production control

All products with SINTEF Environmental Certificate are subject to a supervising product and production control. The contract between the certificate holder and SINTEF requires at least one follow-up during the certification period.
 
The manufacturer must have an acceptable and documented quality system for the production, e.g. certification according to ISO 9001, or other documentation showing that the relevant requirements concerning quality control is fulfilled.
  

Use of certification mark for SINTEF Environmental Certificate

Holders for SINTEF Environmental Certificate will receive a certificate mark from SINTEF Certification. See example of certification label below.
 
Example of certification mark for SINTEF Environmental Certificate.
 
The certification mark for SINTEF Environmental Certificate may be used by the manufacturer on the product, packaging and for marketing purposes. Use of the certification mark to show that the product is certified may be done by marking the product directly, or by displaying the label in brochures and other type of marketing (ads, web, letters etc.). The certification mark can only be used in directly association with the certificated product. The label must not be used in a way that may give the impression that other not certified products from same supplier/producer is also covered by the certificate. SINTEFs logo must not be used.
 
If the period of validity expires, or the certificate is withdrawn, the use of the certification mark and other reference to the SINTEF Environmental Certificate must cease immediately.

 

Validity

A SINTEF Environmental Certificate has an ongoing validity, but must be formally renewed at least every five years. A contract is signed between SINTEF AS and the holder in order to perform follow-ups and possible revisions of the certificate, e.g. in case of changes in the product, production or other matters that are important for the certificate. If changes are significant the certificate is withdrawn.
 

Publishing

Holders of SINTEF Environmental Certificate may publish their certificates as needed. SINTEF publish the certificates on www.sintefcertification.no.
 
For products sold with NOBB-number and/or NRF-number the numbers will automatically be distributed from SINTEF to the NOBB database or the NRF database, provided the holder of the SINTEF Environmental Certificate sends NOBB- or NRF-number to certification@sintef.no. If SINTEF Environmental Certificate includes many products, a separate Excel registration form to make registration easier will be provided on request. The link to the NOBB and NRF databases means that SINTEF Environmental Certificate receives a very good distribution in the construction product market and to other companies in the construction industry.
 

Application for certification

 
A Manufacturers declaration (self-declaration) form concerning the content of substances that may be harmful to health and environment must be filled in for all products to be covered by a SINTEF Environmental Certificate. The form is filled in by the holder of the certificate if this is the manufacturer, alternatively by the manufacturer if the holder is another than the manufacturer.
 
Form  for "Manufacturers declaration":
 
Supporting documents following the application is numbered and marked as attachments in the application form. The application form and supporting documents, such as test reports, brochures, assembly instructions and data sheets, are attached to an e-mail which is sent to certification@sintef.no, or by letter to: 
SINTEF Community
Pb 124 Blindern
0314 Oslo