The company’s complete line of XP® interior gypsum products has received a “seal of approval” from the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, an independent, third-party program that has been certifying products for low non-toxic emissions since 2001.

XP products have achieved GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD Children & Schools certifications, the industry’s most stringent indoor air quality standards. To earn the GREENGUARD Children & Schools certification, National Gypsum’s products passed rigorous sample testing and a review of its manufacturing processes. The certifications are important as concern over indoor air quality grows. Research shows indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.

“In addition to offering multi-faceted performance in the form of abuse- and impact-resistance and industry-leading mold-resistance, our XP products now have the added benefit of achieving the highest indoor air quality standards,” said John Mixson, director of marketing. “XP products are easily identified by their signature purple color and provide the building and design communities with everything they need for innovative, sustainable design in gypsum systems.”

Interest in sustainable design and green building practices is growing among architects, as well as commercial building and home owners.

Standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council have become the benchmark for sustainable design. A building meeting a set of criteria can earn LEED certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Buildings achieving this designation may be certified at one of these levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Achieving the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification may contribute to potential LEED credits depending upon project requirements and LEED criteria.

“The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) applauds National Gypsum on its continued commitment to furthering our mission of improving indoor air quality,” said Dr. Marilyn Black, founder of GEI. “Products such as the XP interior gypsum line are certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute so consumers and members of the building industry alike can be assured that the products which they are buying are healthy for their indoor environments.”       1/9/2009