Reduced Life-Cycle Impacts

Photo: Viridian Reclaimed Wood

OVERVIEW

Is wood a sustainable material? It depends: a table made from reclaimed wood has a much smaller environmental footprint than one sourced from a monoculture plantation that replaced a rainforest.

Defining responsible material sourcing—and then finding responsibly sourced products—is complicated. Here you will find in-depth resources that detail the benefits and challenges of using biobased materials, reclaimed wood, fly ash, and other materials. Our resources also detail which companies and industries are ahead of the curve in offering responsible choices.

What about the materials you don’t use? Using less is always a good idea—as long as that doesn’t compromise performance.

Doing more with less takes knowledge and attention: it’s about investing in human resources instead of wasting natural resources. And since our small planet has more humans every day, we’re not likely to run out of them anytime soon. Durability, efficient structural systems, and repairing and retrofitting rather than replacing are all key strategies to consider.

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  • Sand, a Surprisingly Limited Resource

    Primer

    Demand for the basic raw material for glass and concrete is prompting illegal mining that’s leaving beaches and riverbeds bare. 

  • Getting “Conflict Minerals” Out of Our Products

    Primer

    While “blood diamonds” get attention, mining of metals like tin and tungsten helps finance civil wars. Here’s a look at the movement to change that.

  • Certified Wood Update: Comparing SFI to FSC on Key Forestry and Health Issues

    Webcast

    FSC-certified wood is ingrained in green building rating systems like LEED and the Living Building Challenge, but rival SFI has a revised standard. Can it prove it’s just as good on the issues that matter most?

  • Impact of Concrete Extends to Sand and Gravel Production

    Primer

    Portland cement takes a lot of heat for concrete's carbon emissions, but water quality, land use, and transportation count too, especially because of aggregate.

  • The Many Faces of Reclaimed Wood

    Primer

    Some types of reclaimed wood count as "salvaged materials" that contribute to points in LEED and help comply with green building codes while others do not.

  • Chromium-6: Health and Life-Cycle Hazards

    Primer

    Chrome-plated and stainless-steel products may not expose us directly to the hazards of hexavalent chromium, but their life cycle releases it into the environment.

  • Recycled Content in Steel

    Primer

    Steel is made in two different facility types, which have different methods of producing and using recycled content in steel.

  • Using Fly Ash in Concrete

    Primer

    Fly ash lowers the environmental footprint of concrete and improves durability. Pouring and curing concrete with high levels of fly ash requires special treatment.

  • Defining Recycled Content

    Primer

    Accepted definitions bring some clarity to the term "recycled content," but still leave gray areas that are open to interpretation by product manufacturers.