Using materials recovered from the waste stream typically results in less waste, pollution, and energy use than using virgin materials. From an environmental standpoint, post-consumer is typically considered preferable to pre-consumer recycled content because post-consumer recycled materials are more likely to have been diverted from landfills.
In some cases, we consider products with recycled content green but with some caveats regarding where they should be used. For example, rubber flooring made from recycled automobile tires should not be used in most fully enclosed indoor spaces due to the likelihood of VOC emissions.
Recycling can have downsides. For example, some studies show that curbside collection programs and some recycling processes use more energy than they save. Closed-loop recycling is generally preferable to “down-cycling,” in which a lower-grade material is produced—but due to contamination of waste streams and the difficulty of extracting high-value ingredients, down-cycling may be as good as it gets. At times recycling can re-introduce hazardous components. Some products, like copper and aluminum, include a high level of recycled content as a matter of course—which we applaud, but don’t consider justification for listing in GreenSpec. As more complete life-cycle information on recycled materials and processes becomes available, we use that to increase our scrutiny of recycled products.
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These products are environmentally attractive because they need to be replaced less frequently or their maintenance has very low impact, both of which can reduce costs as well as environmental impact.
Robust answers on typical service life of products can be hard to come by, however. In GreenSpec we reserve this criterion for products where the material is clearly more durable than alternatives, such as an exceptionally traffic-resistant polyurethane floor finish. We refer to standardized tests for durability when they are available and appropriate.
We also consider “appropriate durability”: long life is more important in a building envelope than in interior finish materials that will be replaced for aesthetic reasons. Here, reduced maintenance can be particularly important. An example is resilient flooring that doesn’t require regular waxing: an unnecessary use of resources and a health hazard.
EagleOne Site Furnishings offers a full line of site amenities, including benches, picnic tables, bistro tables, planters, and recycling receptacles, made from at least 80% post-consumer recycled HDPE plastic.
Outdoor furnishings are made from a wide variety of materials, each with its own environmental and health issues. Whether you're looking for seating and tables, trash and recycling bins, outdoor planters, or other site furnishings, choose durable, low-maintenance products made with lower-impact materials and manufacturing processes, which do not use hazardous preservative treatments or finishes.
GreenSpec evaluates outdoor furnishings based on the key environmental attributes of the materials used. For example, wood products must be FSC-certified or made from salvaged materials. We look for plastic site furnishings using recycled HDPE or commingled plastics. Recycled commingled plastics may have slightly inconsistent properties, but they make use of lower-grade waste material that is generally more of a disposal problem. Other products embody creative reuse or other unique green attributes.
The attributes GreenSpec looks for in products listed here include salvaged material, post-consumer recycled content, certified wood, rapidly renewable material, or alternatives to hazardous components.
Residential furniture products must meet the same overarching criteria that GreenSpec has established for all furniture products: products must be low emitting and exhibit multiple other environmental features, such as being made primarily from greener materials.
In a residential setting, where there is likely to be lower air exchange and also children—a more vulnerable population—consider placing increased emphasis on occupant health over other environmental concerns.
For residential products, GreenSpec places increased emphasis on occupant health over other life cycle concerns for the product. GreenSpec seeks out products that are certified low emitting and also provide full disclosure of material composition demonstrating no content of high-hazard chemicals (according to the Pharos Chemical and Material Library). As such products are few and far between, GreenSpec also lists other innovative residential furniture products that address a range of concerns.
Enabling homeowners and commercial building occupants to be good environmental stewards is important. Systems that make it easy to recycle wastes should be provided in houses, apartment buildings, offices, and institutions.
GreenSpec lists products with recycled content, usually from either high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or commingled plastics, with post-consumer content generally exceeding 60%.
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MRc4: Recycled Content
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