Why We Need "Nutrition Labels" for Building Products (Video)

Nutrition labels allow shoppers to compare two bags of chips. The transparency movement seeks that level of transparency for building materials.

This is Part 2 in our series on transparency.

Part 1: Why We Care About Product Transparency

Part 3: The End of Greenwashing? Five Myths about Product Transparency

Building product transparency has been a hot topic in the design and construction world lately.

Pioneering manufacturers like InterfaceFLOR are releasing environmental product declarations (EPDs). Influential firms like Perkins+Will are gathering and publishing more data about what's really in our building materials (if you haven't seen the firm's new Transparency website, check it out here).

The LEED 2012 drafts are looking to incentivize transparency by offering credits for the use of products that have an EPD. We're also adding product transparency to GreenSpec as a searchable attribute to help you when specifying products.

As a companion to this month's EBN feature article, "The Product Transparency Movement: Peeking Behind the Corporate Veil," we've put together this fun four-minute video on what the transparency movement is all about. (Cheeky animations and soothing narration by our amazing sales administrator HB Lozito.)

We had a lot of fun making it, and folks have told us it's also fun to watch. Enjoy!

Posted by Paula Melton on January 4, 2012

Comments

steve Baer

Thu, 2012-01-05 11:58

I very much support the concepts presented in the video. As a leader in the LCA and EPD field, PE INTERNATIONAL, has advocated for these disclosure type communications for some time. The inclusion of the Health information into the ISO approved EPD standards is a valuable step forward. The process to include these disclosures would be easily accomplished through the Product Category Rules approach, part of the ISO 14025 requirements. The move towards LEED inclusion of transparency along with performance criteria for product selection is a huge step forward, and will help drive demand for this type information. Nice Work. steve baer

Paula Melton

Thu, 2012-01-05 12:20

Steve, your comments are much appreciated. And we definitely agree that including the health info is a valuable step forward. Both are so important.

Leah

Thu, 2012-01-05 17:21

I too enjoyed this video -- a great way to both make complex information accessible and make the case for labeling that seems eminently sensible. My readers (residential remodelers, primarily) on d5R will enjoy it as well, as greater transparency could help them better educate their clients on the products they do and do not recommend installing.

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About the Authors

Alex Wilson is founder and executive editor of BuildingGreen, Inc., and coeditor of GreenSpec. For more than 30 years, Alex has been the most trusted voice on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible design and construction. Since launching Environmental Building News (EBN) in 1992, he’s built a reputation, resources, and staff to serve the companies for whom sustainable design is a core value.

Brent Ehrlich is BuildingGreen’s products editor, conducts research and writes product and category insights for the company’s GreenSpec product directory. He also contributes product reviews and feature articles for Environmental Building News, and is a contributing editor to McGraw-Hill’s GreenSource magazine.

Jennifer Atlee is research director at BuildingGreen, responsible for guiding the in-depth independent research that is the hallmark of all BuildingGreen resources. With her broad knowledge in sustainability, analytical acumen, and passion for improving the standards used to assess the sustainability of products, processes, and organizations, Jennifer brings strong direction to the research process behind GreenSpec’s product-screening decisions, and technical rigor to BuildingGreen’s custom research projects.

Tristan Roberts is Editorial Director at BuildingGreen, Inc., a position that requires broad knowledge about sustainable design, deep understanding of products, and mastery of all things LEED. Tristan Roberts brings that to Environmental Building News, GreenSpec, and LEEDuser, a plug-in tool supported by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide credit-by-credit advice for LEED projects.

Peter Yost brings more than 25 years' experience in building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high-performance homes to his role as director of residential services for BuildingGreen. He has been called upon to provide his building-science expertise to the nation’s leading homebuilding programs, including NAHB’s Green Building Standard, USGBC's LEED for Homes, EPA’s WaterSense, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America.

Paula Melton, BuildingGreen’s managing editor, brings a dynamic style, critical mind, and sharp wit to the many feature articles, blog posts, and product reviews she writes for GreenSpec, BuildingGreen.com, Environmental Building News, and other BuildingGreen-supported websites.

Nadav Malin is president of BuildingGreen, where he oversees the company’s industry-leading information and community-building resources and consulting services. He also convenes and facilitates gatherings of industry leaders, and lends his technical expertise and vision to GreenSource magazine. Nadav was the founding chair of the Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group for LEED.

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