Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) is a 1985-founded not-for-profit trade association that establishes voluntary performance guidelines and the NSF/ANSI 336-based Facts sustainability certification for contract textiles, serving textile companies, furniture manufacturers, and the architectural and design community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersBeacon, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) does
The Association for Contract Textiles (ACT), founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit professional trade association headquartered in Beacon, NY, that establishes the de facto voluntary performance and sustainability standards for textiles used in commercial interiors. ACT's core offerings are two complementary frameworks: the ACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines, which set minimum test-method thresholds for flammability, wet/dry crocking, colorfastness to light, physical properties, and abrasion resistance (using Wyzenbeek and Martindale test methods with traffic-tiered thresholds) across woven, knit, and coated fabrics; and the Facts Sustainability Certification, a multi-attribute certification program built on the ANSI-accredited NSF/ANSI 336 standard (updated to the 2018 version) that issues Compliant, Silver, Gold, and Platinum ratings across fiber sourcing, water/energy use, recycling, air quality, and social accountability. Both the ACT Guidelines and Facts marks are Registered Certification Marks at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Supporting these core products are educational resources, including four IDCEC-approved CEU courses, online textile tutorials, nine white papers, healthcare specifications, quality guidelines, and a glossary.
ACT operates a membership-funded business model with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its membership base comprises 45+ principal textile companies (including Anzea, Arc-Com, Architex, Brentano, Designtex, Knoll Textiles, Kravet Contract, Maharam, and Mayer Fabrics), 18+ associate furniture manufacturer members (including Haworth, HNI, MillerKnoll, and Teknion), industry individuals (designers and consultants), and industry partners (mills, fiber companies, finishers, testing labs). Revenue flows through membership dues, and the organization is led by an Executive Director and Assistant Director with a small staff of approximately six, governed by a board composed of representatives from member companies. ACT distributes its standards and educational content through its website, the annual Interact membership conference, NeoCon participation, CEU lunch-and-learn sessions, and social media channels, while pursuing recognition agreements with adjacent standards bodies including USGBC/LEED, BIFMA (level®), TCNA (GreenSquared®), and the HPD Collaborative to embed Facts certification within the broader commercial-furnishings sustainability ecosystem.
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)
- Legal name
- Association for Contract Textiles, Inc.
- Website
- https://contracttextiles.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) is a 1985-founded not-for-profit trade association that establishes voluntary performance guidelines and the NSF/ANSI 336-based Facts sustainability certification for contract textiles, serving textile companies, furniture manufacturers, and the architectural and design community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Textile Industry Standards & Certification
- akta.pro primary industry
- Circularity Compliance, Traceability & Certification Services (EPR/Product Passports/Chain-of-Custody) (IMAOAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Textile Testing, Compliance & Quality Assurance (CRAAAMAL), Sustainable & Certified Materials (Organic, Recycled, Traceable) (CRAAAMAK)
Keywords
Where Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beacon
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT develops and maintains voluntary performance guidelines and sustainability certification programs for contract textiles used in commercial interiors. The ACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines establish minimum thresholds for flammability, abrasion, colorfastness, and physical properties across woven, coated, and knit fabrics. The Facts Sustainability Certification, built on the NSF/ANSI 336-2018 standard, delivers third-party verified multi-attribute sustainability ratings (Compliant, Silver, Gold, Platinum) for commercial furnishings fabric.
Product overview
ACT (Association for Contract Textiles) is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1985 serving the contract textile industry. The organization offers two core certification programs: the ACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines (covering flammability, wet/dry crocking, colorfastness to light, physical properties, and abrasion testing for woven, coated, and knit fabrics) and the Facts Sustainability Certification (based on NSF/ANSI 336-2018 standard). Supporting these core offerings are educational products including CEU courses, textile tutorials, white papers, healthcare specifications, quality guidelines, and a comprehensive glossary. All offerings serve the architectural and design community specifying textiles for commercial interiors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines Voluntary industry performance testing standards covering flammability, wet/dry crocking, colorfastness to light, physical properties, and abrasion resistance for woven, coated, and knit fabrics used in commercial interiors. Includes specific test methods and minimum performance thresholds and is offered to textile manufacturers and the architectural and design community.
- Facts Sustainability Certification Multi-attribute sustainability certification program based on the NSF/ANSI 336-2018 standard evaluating environmental, economic, and social aspects across the textile product life cycle, including fiber sourcing, water conservation, energy, recycling, air quality, and social accountability. Provides third-party verified Compliant, Silver, Gold, and Platinum ratings for commercial furnishings fabric.
Companies that use Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NSF InternationalcoreNSF International partnered with ACT and GreenBlue to provide ANSI-accredited credentials for building a consensus-based sustainability standard. NSF International has been testing and certifying products for safety, health, and the environment for more than 65 years.
- GreenBluecoreGreenBlue, a non-profit that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable, was selected by ACT's Environmental Committee in 2004 to develop a sustainability standard suitable for textiles used in commercial interiors. GreenBlue partnered with ACT to develop the NSF 336 standard.
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute)coreANSI oversees development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems and personnel in the United States. ANSI accredited the NSF/ANSI 336 standard, making it applicable on a national level.
- USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council)minorIn 2013, USGBC established Pilot Credit 80: Environmentally Preferable Interior Finishes and Furnishings. ACT is pursuing strategic relationships with LEED and other organizations to develop equal recognition programs for Facts-certified textiles.
- BIFMA (Business Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association)minorFacts certification aligns with the level® by BIFMA sustainability standard. ACT is exploring recognition programs with BIFMA for aspects of sustainability that overlap between the two certification programs.
- TCNA (Tile Council of North America)minorFacts certification program aligns with GreenSquared® by TCNA as part of the broader sustainability certification ecosystem for interior products.
- HPD Collaborative (Health Product Declaration)minorACT is pursuing strategic relationships with HPD Collaborative and other organizations in the design community to explore recognition of sustainability aspects that overlap with Facts certification.
- ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)coreACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines reference test methods established by ASTM for fabric performance testing including breaking strength (ASTM D5034), dimensional stability (ASTM D3597, ASTM D6207), and seam slippage (ASTM D4033).
- AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists)coreACT guidelines reference AATCC test methods for colorfastness evaluation including AATCC 16 for Colorfastness to Light and AATCC 8 for Colorfastness to Crocking.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NSF International: Global standards and certification body that co-developed and administers NSF/ANSI 336 with ACT. NSF operates across many product categories (food, water, health sciences) and represents a much larger incumbent in the sustainability standards space.
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): Operator of the LEED green building rating system, which directly influences textile specification in commercial projects. USGBC's Pilot Credit 80 framework intersects with ACT's Facts certification, making USGBC both a strategic partner and a competing authority in defining sustainable interior finishes.
Direct peers
- INDA (Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry): Trade association serving the nonwoven fabrics industry with similar member-funded governance, education programs, and advocacy focus. INDA is structurally analogous to ACT and serves an adjacent textile category.
- GreenBlue: Non-profit that co-developed the NSF/ANSI 336 standard with ACT and NSF International. GreenBlue focuses on sustainable product design across categories and represents a peer organization with overlapping mission in commercial interiors sustainability.
- AF&PA (American Forest & Paper Association): Trade association for the U.S. forest products industry, providing sustainability standards, advocacy, and education. Operates a member-funded governance and committee structure analogous to ACT's contract textile model.
- BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association): Trade association that develops the level sustainability standard for furniture, with overlapping associate member companies (Haworth, HNI, MillerKnoll, Teknion). BIFMA is ACT's most direct peer in developing and promoting multi-attribute commercial furnishings sustainability standards.
- IFAI (Industrial Fabrics Association International): Trade association for the technical and industrial textiles industry, providing standards, education, and member services similar to ACT's offering to the contract textile industry.
- TCNA (Tile Council of North America): Trade association that developed the GreenSquared sustainability standard for ceramic tile, with alignment partnership with ACT Facts. Operates a near-identical member-funded, multi-attribute sustainability certification model for an adjacent interior finishes category.
- AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association): Trade association serving apparel and footwear brands with advocacy, standards, and education programs. AAFA represents the same member-funded trade-association model applied to an adjacent textile end-use category.
Emerging players
- HPD Collaborative (Health Product Declaration): Standards body for material transparency and health product declarations in the built environment. HPD overlaps with ACT's Facts certification on material safety and disclosure attributes, competing for design-team mindshare on sustainability documentation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) social profiles
Digital presenceAssociation for Contract Textiles (ACT) compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)
What does Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) do?
ACT develops and maintains voluntary performance guidelines and sustainability certification programs for contract textiles used in commercial interiors. The ACT Voluntary Performance Guidelines establish minimum thresholds for flammability, abrasion, colorfastness, and physical properties across woven, coated, and knit fabrics. The Facts Sustainability Certification, built on the NSF/ANSI 336-2018 standard, delivers third-party verified multi-attribute sustainability ratings (Compliant, Silver, Gold, Platinum) for commercial furnishings fabric.
Is Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) a public or private company?
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) founded?
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) was founded in 1985. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) based?
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) is headquartered in Beacon, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NSF International and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Direct peers are INDA (Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry), GreenBlue, AF&PA (American Forest & Paper Association), BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association), IFAI (Industrial Fabrics Association International), TCNA (Tile Council of North America) and AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association). HPD Collaborative (Health Product Declaration) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Association for Contract Textiles (ACT).
What industry is Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) in?
Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)'s product category is Textile Industry Standards & Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAMAJ, Circularity Compliance, Traceability & Certification Services (EPR/Product Passports/Chain-of-Custody), with a secondary code of CRAAAMAL, Textile Testing, Compliance & Quality Assurance.