The Blue Angel is exhibiting for the first time at ORGATEC, the leading international trade fair for workspace and contract solutions, taking place from 27 to 30 October 2026 in Cologne. At its booth on the North Boulevard, the German federal government’s ecolabel will be providing information on the benefits offered by certified prod-ucts when designing and fitting out workspaces and commercial premises to ensure low emissions and pollutant levels. The focus lies on the Blue Angel’s Basic Award Criteria for products and materials that play an important role in designing office and conference areas, including office furniture and floor coverings. The specialist talk by Janine Braumann from the German Environment Agency and Mara Scheuermann from RAL gGmbH on “Future-Proof Workspaces: Sustainable, Low-Emission Planning with The Blue Angel” offers exciting insights. The talk will be held on Friday, 30 October 2026 at 12 noon on the Academy Stage of the Work Culture Festival (IBA) in Hall 6.
Future-proof planning begins with environmentally friendly product selection
Even in the early phases of a project, architects and planners make decisions that have a long-term influence on the environmental impact of a building and the quality of its interiors. What materials are used? Where do the raw materials used come from? What substances may be released by products into the indoor air? And what requirements are placed on durability and circularity? Furniture, floor coverings, wood-based materials and other extensively used materials can influence the quality of indoor air over many years.
The Blue Angel offers planners reliable, independent guidance here. Various stringent environmental and health requirements are imposed, depending on the product group, such as with regard to emissions and hazardous substances, the origin of raw materials, and durability and circularity aspects.
The Blue Angel ecolabel sets strict chemical requirements to minimise hazardous substances in the product. As a result, lower emissions are released into the indoor air during the use phase and the materials used can be better recycled at the end of the product’s life cycle. For instance, no halogenated organic compounds may be used in furniture (e.g. as binding agents or flame retardants). The use of biocides is also prohibited outside of in-can preservation.
Emissions from the products are verifiably low. VOC and SVOC emissions are tested in accredited testing laboratories. The Blue Angel sets stringent limit values, which are based on the AgBB procedure (Health-related Evaluation Procedure for Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VVOC, VOC and SVOC) from Building Products). In addition, mandatory odour testing is required for relevant products, e.g. for floor coverings and upholstered furniture.
The wood used in wooden furniture comes from legal forest management and verifiably certified sources.
The durability of a product and resource conservation also play an important role. Depending on the product group, the criteria take into account, among other things, usability, repairability, the availability of spare parts, and the possibility of dismantling and recycling.
The Blue Angel can thus offer assistance to architects and planners, especially when selecting materials and products and in calls for tenders.
Relevant Basic Award Criteria for architecture and interior fittings
At ORGATEC, the Blue Angel will be providing information on the following Basic Award Criteria:
Low-Emission Furniture made of Wood and Wood-Based Materials (DE-UZ 38)
Relevant, among other things, for desks, shelving, cupboards, and other furniture made of wood and wood-based materials.
Low Emission Upholstered Furniture (DE-UZ 117)
Comprises, among other things, office chairs and other upholstered seating and sofas.
Resilient Floor Coverings and Skirting (DE-UZ 120)
The scope of application comprises floor coverings made from plastic, rubber, linoleum or cork.
Low-Emission Textile Floorcoverings and Carpets (DE-UZ 128)
Textile floor coverings and carpets fall within the scope of application.
Low-Emission Floor Coverings, Panels and Doors for Interiors made of Wood and Wood-Based Mate-rials (DE-UZ 176)
For parquet, laminate flooring, panelling and interior doors made of wood and wood-based materials.
The Blue Angel at ORGATEC 2026
27 to 30 October 2026, daily from 9am to 6pm
Info stand on the North Boulevard in front of the entrance to Hall 7.1, Koelnmesse, Cologne
Talk as part of the Work Culture Festival (organised by IBA)
Topic “Future-Proof Workspaces: Sustainable, Low-Emission Planning with The Blue Angel” (in German)
Janine Braumann, German Environment Agency + Mara Scheuermann, RAL gGmbH
Friday, 30 October 2026, 12 noon, on the Academy Stage in Hall 6
Further information is available at this link.