OVERVIEW
Materials really do matter to the health of occupants and the environment, but finding out what is in a product—and why—is not easy.
Products also have to perform as intended, so there are often tradeoffs between performance and the most sustainable materials.
Here you will find articles on:
-
the least hazardous, most environmentally sustainable materials used in products
-
environmental product declarations that can reveal the life-cycle impacts of materials
-
standards and third-party certifications that provide important VOC criteria and other health and performance metrics
-
chemicals of concern in building materials
You’ll also learn how what makes a product green can differ from product category to product category, and why multi-attribute vetting is critical no matter what product or material you’re selecting or specifying.
IN-DEPTH
Filter results:
- Blog Post (15) Apply Blog Post filter
- Feature Article (39) Apply Feature Article filter
- Feature Short (5) Apply Feature Short filter
- (-) Remove Infographic filter Infographic
- (-) Remove News Analysis filter News Analysis
- News Brief (66) Apply News Brief filter
- (-) Remove Op-Ed filter Op-Ed
- (-) Remove Primer filter Primer
- (-) Remove Product Review filter Product Review
- Webcast (5) Apply Webcast filter
-
A More Sustainable Fluorinated PVDF Metal Coating
Product Review
With the PVDF coating Fluropon Pure, “fluorinated” does not necessarily mean persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic.
-
A New Foam-Free Sub-Slab Insulation
Product Review
Foam glass aggregate made from post-consumer recycled glass bottles can replace both foam insulation and aggregate below grade
-
The Combined Effectiveness of Prefab, Wood, and Passive House
News Analysis
Recent projects have combined modular prefabrication, wood construction, and Passive House design to address sustainability goals.
-
New PVC-Free Resilient Flooring Options
Product Review
Shaw is now offering biobased and recycled PET resilient flooring options for commercial and healthcare applications.
-
Let’s Talk: Mainstreaming Transparency Takes More than Letters
Op-Ed
To move the building industry toward greener products, there are two big things we need to do.
-
Manufacturers to Architects: Buy Greener Products or They May Go Away
News Analysis
Designers asked for transparency and got it. Now they need to follow through with specs, say producers.
-
Polystyrene Insulations Are Now HBCD-Free
Product Review
Dow, Owens Corning, and Kingspan have joined the EPS industry in eliminating the hazardous halogenated flame retardant HBCD from their XPS insulations.
-
New Insulated Metal Panels without Halogenated Flame Retardants
Product Review
Kingspan and Centria IMPs are using halogen-free flame retardants, resulting in less toxic, better performing insulated cladding.
-
Would Wood Skyscrapers Improve Urban Sustainability?
News Analysis
Plans to build a wood skyscraper in Tokyo will promote large-scale mass timber construction in cities.
-
Concrete Pours through Loophole in New Carbon Law
News Analysis
Buy Clean California requires contractors to specify lower-carbon products, but industry pressure quashed the law’s potential.
