Australian Furnishing and Research and Development Institute Certified

7 August 2019

APC is committed to minimising our impact on the environment by producing highly functional and sustainable furniture for the office. This is highlighted in our efforts to have a selection of products undergo AFRDI Green Tick Approval, an eco-labelling certification.

APC knows how important it is to consider the full life cycle of a product and to make sure the materials used can be recycled or reused. As a result of our commitment to producing highly functional and sustainable storage solutions, a range of our products have been AFRDI Green Tick certified. Approved products include our Trimline and Slimline Mobile Pedestals and our Trimline Mobile Caddy, with plans to have more of our product range certified in the near future. AFRDI Green Tick certification is a voluntary certification process, providing confidence to purchasers, architects, builders, designers and specifiers that APC is considering our carbon footprint and is making an effort to minimise impact on the environment. To be awarded AFRDI Green Tick certification, a product must be shown to meet the requirements of AFRDI standard 150: 2012 Sustainability Standard – Commercial Furniture at either the Silver, Gold or Platinum Level.

In the context of furniture design and manufacturing, AFRDI analyse the product design and manufacturing process including the ethical sourcing of raw materials, responsible use of water and energy, waste minimisation and, through better furniture design, the efficient use of raw materials – by both expending a products lifespan and its recyclability.

AFRDI Green Tick certified products are also deemed compliant with the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Formaldehyde Minimisation credits in Green Star rating tools.

Products eligible for AFRDI Green Tick certification must be first AFRDI Blue Tick certified. This certifies products meet certain standards in reference to the products performance, function and safety tests, coupled with an evaluation of the quality and finish of a representative sample of the product. APC's Blue Tick certified products include our Lateral and Vertical Filing Cabinets, Mobile Caddy, the Slimline, Trimline and Classic Mobile Pedestal, and our Tambour Door Cabinet.

AFRDI perform a range of stress tests on the products with the criteria for this testing including requirements for strength, durability, stability, fitness for purpose (ergonomics and basic safety), ignitability and reasonable finish and workmanship.

The Australian Furnishing and Research and Development Institute (AFRDI) is a not-for-profit testing and certification organisation based in Tasmania. Their standards of testing regulate the quality of a product to ensure the final product meets a range of standards.

By meeting these standards, APC’s AFRDI Blue and Green Tick certified office furniture gives you peace of mind that the products are built to last and will operate in a safe manner for the products life span, while also being a sustainably produced and tested by an independent organisation.