Materials & Resources
Materials & Resources

With the need to reduce the impact materials have on the environment resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials it is important to use materials with recycled content, are recyclable, from rapid renewable resources, have no or low VOC emissions, and are high performance with long life-cycles. Consider manufacturers that offer cradle to cradle products and services, reclamation programs, and are local to the project thereby lowering transportation energy. There has been a 20% increase in the use of sustainable products in the last 2 years.

Avoid the exploitation and misuse of green terms by selecting products that are EPP- Environmentally Preferred Products that meet the criteria of Green Label Plus, Green Seal, Forest Stewardship Council (FSP) and or Certified Organic.
A sustainable benchmark for manufactured products is the Cradle to Cradle Product Certification, verifying the environmental sustainability of the product.
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c/

Another sustainable standard known as SMART, Sustainable Materials Rating Technology, is a third party certified and audited consensus based standard that also considers the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) process.
www.sustainableproducts.com/smartweb.html

Companies that have manufacturing sites that are ISO 14001 certified, having an International Environmental Management System in place, also make good environmental partners.