When promoting eco-friendly paints and coatings to commercial clients, certifications are key. These third-party verifications provide assurance that a product meets environmental and performance standards—making it easier for architects, contractors, and specifiers to select your products for high-stakes projects.
In this blog, we’ll break down the top certifications that matter most in the commercial space—and how to use them to support smarter selling and better compliance.
🟢 1. GreenGuard & GreenGuard Gold
Issued by UL, these certifications ensure:
Low VOC emissions for better indoor air quality
Compliance with ANSI and California standards
Suitability for use in hospitals, schools, and offices
GreenGuard Gold is stricter and accepted for LEED v4 points.
🔍 2. SCAQMD Rule 1113 Compliance
This certification is based on Southern California Air Quality Management District limits, among the strictest in the U.S.
VOC content must fall under designated thresholds
Required for many public works and institutional bids in California and beyond
Be sure to include SCAQMD ratings in product spec sheets.
📋 3. Health Product Declaration (HPD)
An HPD lists all product ingredients and potential health impacts. It’s often required for:
WELL-certified buildings
Green public infrastructure
High-transparency commercial projects
Distributors offering HPD-backed paints are seen as higher-tier suppliers.
🧾 4. Declare Label
Often called the “nutrition label for building materials,” Declare provides:
Full ingredient transparency
Red/Yellow/Green compliance ratings
Tracking for Living Building Challenge projects
Declare is rare in coatings, but highly valuable where required.
📉 5. VOC Content Documentation (g/L)
Even if formal certification is lacking, detailed VOC data:
Helps meet regional building codes
Supports internal corporate sustainability audits
Builds trust with commercial buyers
Include VOC levels in your ERP product descriptions and printed catalogs.
🧠 How to Use Certifications in Sales
Offer downloadable spec sheets and compliance docs
Train your reps to reference certifications during commercial quoting
Highlight certified SKUs in sustainability-focused marketing materials
Use ERP filters to quickly identify certified products by project type
✅ Final Thoughts
Certifications are more than logos—they’re decision-making tools for commercial buyers. Stocking, showcasing, and understanding these certifications gives your distribution team the edge in a competitive and fast-evolving market.
