Sustainable Materials
Parent
Sustainable Materials
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Five Ways Project Teams Are Using HPDs
Feature Short
An architect, a specifier, and a building owner walk into a bar. Then they talk about how ingredient transparency informs their work.
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In Search of High-Quality Hazard Data: HPDs Have Promise, but Most Aren’t Helpful Yet
Feature Short
HPD version 1.0’s promise of greater material transparency didn’t always deliver, but version 2.0 should provide accurate reporting.
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Dances with Hazards: How Real Experts Pull Human Health into Design
Feature Short
John and Catherine prove that designers can work successfully with HPDs, especially if they have a toxicology consultant to support their multi-faceted selection process.
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Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough
Feature Short
We used to look for coatings, adhesives, and sealants that contained no VOCs. Great for smog prevention, but IAQ and installer health are also important.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Using Fly Ash in Concrete
Explainer
Fly ash lowers the environmental footprint of concrete and improves durability. Pouring and curing concrete with high levels of fly ash requires special treatment.
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Brominated Flame Retardants
Explainer
Keeping furnishings, appliances, and building materials from catching fire and burning up is important, but many flame retardants aren't good for us or the environment.
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Synthetic Gypsum
Explainer
Synthetic gypsum, used in drywall, is chemically the same as virgin gypsum but is created from a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. Are designer and contractor concerns about heavy metal contamination justified?
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The Precautionary Principle
Explainer
The precautionary principle employs "guilty until proven innocent" methodology, and suggests that we should avoid using questionable chemicals and materials until we know they're safe.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Hardwood & Bamboo Flooring
Product Guide
Hardwood and rapidly renewable flooring that's sustainably sourced and tested for ultra-low indoor emissions
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Wallcoverings
Product Guide
These durable wall treatments have no PVC and no toxic phthalates. This mitigates health concerns with this important design choice.
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Textiles
Product Guide
These high-performance, low-impact fabrics are painstakingly vetted and include biobased synthetics and some natural fibers.
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MDF and Particleboard
Product Guide
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard, and interior-grade plywood can emit formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. Some materials come from non-sustainable sources.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Reformulated USG Ceiling Panels are Formaldehyde-Free
News Analysis
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FSC Revises Controlled-Wood Standards
News Analysis
The Forest Stewardship Council's efforts to identify wood harvested under the most controversial conditions should become more effective with some new changes and reliance on a Global Risk Registry.
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Groups Challenge Timber Companies Under SFI Rules
News Analysis
In separate actions, two environmental groups are putting Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards to the test by using its rules to challenge timber company practices.
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USGBC Releases Final Report on PVC Avoidance
News Analysis
The Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council has found that that evidence does not support an anti-PVC credit in the LEED rating system.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Plastics Industry Still Shouting "Fire" At Its Own Peril
Op-Ed
The foam insulation industry's united stand against code changes could backfire in the marketplace.
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Opinion: EPDs Are One Small Step for Design Professionals, a Giant Leap for Industry
Op-Ed
Uptake of life-cycle assessment will produce huge amounts of data that designers can use to reduce whole-building impacts.
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Opinion: Orwellian EPDs Ignore the Worst Impacts of Wood, Vinyl
Op-Ed
Although life-cycle assessment has great promise, in the wrong hands it can be used for greenwashing.
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Opinion: How EPDs Are Improving Our Products—A Manufacturer’s Perspective
Op-Ed
Some manufacturers wonder if EPDs are worth the effort. Yes—and the business case is stronger than the marketing case.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Feature
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to negative health and environmental impacts. Getting them out of our building products is going to require work.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Spotlight Report
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part One: Embodied Carbon
Spotlight Report
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part Two: Moving from Carbon to Climate
Spotlight Report
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