BIFMA Provides Update on Compliant Program

The Business Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has finalized the requirements for its Compliant Program. Citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIFMA Board of Directors, along with the BIFMA Engineering and Marketing Committees, have decided to delay the launch of the program. BIFMA’s plan is to begin executing contractual agreements in November and begin loading product information to the registry as of December 1. The anticipated live date of registry will be, March 1, 2021. 

The requirements for the program can be found on BIFMA’s website. Within this document are the Agreement (contract to participate), Program Scheme (rule set), a copy of the Conformance Requirements, along with ‘mark’ and ‘registry’ Usage Guidelines for declaring product conformance.

BIFMA Compliant is a voluntary program focused on increasing consistency and visibility of products that comply with BIFMA standards. 

Program Elements:

• The program will cover nine mechanical standards that focus on safety and durability
• The program will be open to both BIFMA members (with discounted pricing available), as well as non-member companies
• Testing must be conducted in an ISO 17025 accredited test laboratory with the relevant BIFMA standard(s) in their Scope of Accreditation. The laboratory may be a 1st party (in-house) or 3rd party laboratory
• Test reports will be subject to random audits by BIFMA staff
• A company executive must sign a formal agreement with BIFMA to participate
• An aggregated product registry will list conforming products by manufacturer on a new website
• Participating manufacturers may use a trademarked “BIFMA Compliant” mark for their products and marketing materials

SGS Furniture Services

SGS adds value from the drawing board to the shop floor. With a full-range of services, including product design analysis, component and product testing, auditing, inspection and retail store checks, SGS helps businesses deliver well-designed, functional, durable and safe products to their customers. They have the furniture industry, regulatory and technical expertise required to check a product’s compliance against relevant standards and/or a manufacturer’s own specifications. Learn more about SGS’s Furniture Services. 

For enquiries, please contact:

Matthew McGarrity
Senior Technical Manager - Hardlines
t: +1 973 461 1505 

_{© SGS Group Management SA - 2020 - All rights reserved - SGS is a registered trademark of SGS Group Management SA. This is a publication of SGS, except for 3rd parties’ contents submitted or licensed for use by SGS. SGS neither endorses nor disapproves said 3rd parties contents. This publication is intended to provide technical information and shall not be considered an exhaustive treatment of any subject treated. It is strictly educational and does not replace any legal requirements or applicable regulations. It is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and SGS does not warrant that it will be error-free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. Do not quote or refer any information herein without SGS’ prior written consent.}