OVERVIEW
It’s easy to select a product from a catalog without thinking about where it comes from. But if you care about hidden impacts like embodied carbon, toxic ingredients or byproducts, or social responsibility in the supply chain, a lack of information from manufacturers can hinder your selection process.
We offer tips, insights, and analysis on all these issues and more. We also look at:
-
the quality of the information that’s available to you
-
why it’s so hard to get
-
what makes it important
- and even what to do with the data once you have it
IN-DEPTH
Filter results:
- Blog Post (4) Apply Blog Post filter
- Feature Article (5) Apply Feature Article filter
- Feature Short (15) Apply Feature Short filter
- Infographic (5) Apply Infographic filter
- News Analysis (19) Apply News Analysis filter
- News Brief (16) Apply News Brief filter
- Op-Ed (9) Apply Op-Ed filter
- Primer (5) Apply Primer filter
- Product Review (7) Apply Product Review filter
- Webcast (1) Apply Webcast filter
-
The 8 Shades of Greenwash: How Many Do You Recognize?
November 25, 2014Infographic
Most building products these days have an environmental angle to their sales pitches. Many are legit, but as ever, you still have to watch for the telltale signs of greenwash—the practice of inventing or exaggerating the environmental benefits of a product.
-
HPD Quick-Start Guide: 5 Easy Steps
November 5, 2015Infographic
How to get solid information from a Health Product Declaration (HPD), in just five steps.
-
Trade Group Releases EPD for Light-Gauge Steel Framing
April 4, 2016News Brief
The industry-wide environmental product declaration covers cold-formed structural steel, paving the way for potential LEED v4 credits.
-
The 12 Product Rules
March 3, 2016Infographic
These 12 product rules provide a simple approach to selecting better, healthier, and more environmentally responsible building products and materials.
-
The Big Materials Dream Needs to Include Climate Change and More
February 9, 2016Op-Ed
We’re finally getting vital toxicity information about building products. But let’s remember that sustainability is about more than avoiding health hazards.
-
Phthalates Absorbed More Readily Than Previously Thought
January 28, 2016News Analysis
SVOCs like phthalates are released into the air, according to a new study, so you’re breathing and absorbing them, not just eating them.
-
USGBC, Chemical Industry Reach Historic Compromise on Product Optimization
November 13, 2015News Analysis
Option 3 of the LEED v4 Material Ingredients credit rewards manufacturers for chemical management up the supply chain.
-
Understanding GreenScreen and List Translator Benchmarks
November 2, 2015Primer
The Health Product Declaration and some other programs ask for GreenScreen benchmarks. What does that actually mean?
-
What’s an HPD? Health Product Declaration FAQs
November 2, 2015Feature Short
We answer frequently asked questions on HPDs, which allow manufacturers to disclose product ingredients and hazards.
-
Different Tools for Different Jobs: How HPDs Fit In
November 2, 2015Feature Short
Why do we need Health Product Declarations when we have safety data sheets, Cradle to Cradle, Declare, and other frameworks?
