Some materials provide a better alternative in an application dominated by products for which there are concerns about toxic constituents, intermediaries, or by-products. With the panoply of products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants, some products are green simply because they provide an alternative. Examples of this are natural wall coverings, drain and vent piping, and roofing membranes. Some green products are free of hazards common to the product category; for example, LED lighting is inherently free of the mercury found in fluorescent lighting sources.
However, it’s worth noting that without transparency about actual ingredients, there’s no guarantee that a product won’t have less common or less well-known hazards that the manufacturer isn’t talking about. We use Pharos’s Chemical and Material Library to assess less well-known hazards, and we encourage manufacturers to review the hazardous properties of all chemicals they use and seek out safer materials.
Organics Wall Coverings
-
-
Growing and harvesting our building materials would be a great way to move toward a closed-loop system rather than a linear path from extraction to disposal. Doing so holds the promise of true sustainability and regeneration of ecosystems instead of damage to them.
Unfortunately, biobased materials today can be at least as problematic as any other material. Intensive land use, chemical use, fuel use, nutrient runoff, and other pollution are among the impacts of agriculture; add to that competition between food crops and those used for building materials or fuel. We would like to see sustainable use of biobased materials, but improving practices and figuring out how to assess and document more sustainable practices will take a long time. There is no ready equivalent to FSC for biobased materials that aren’t wood, although certification to “organic” standards or other sustainable agriculture standards can provide guidance in some cases.
At the same time, we don’t want to exclude biobased products that are typically responsibly sourced just because they don’t have a certification—particularly where they replace more problematic materials. GreenSpec continues to give preference to rapidly renewable alternatives to materials that present greater concerns. Examples of rapidly renewable materials in GreenSpec include linoleum, cork, and textiles such as wool, sisal, and organic cotton. -
Just how low the VOC level needs to be for a given product to qualify for inclusion in GreenSpec depends on the product category. For most products, we require certification to California’s health-based emissions standard, CDPH Std Method v1.1 standard (also referred to as California Section 01350), which tests a product’s resultant VOC concentrations in the space after a given period of time. For wet-applied products like paints, caulks, and adhesives, we still also look for VOC content instead of, or in addition to, verified low emissions; this is because emissions testing doesn’t adequately test initial offgassing, and VOC content is currently the only widely available proxy.
Wolf Gordon's Organics line of wall coverings is available in seven patterns, each offered in 11–22 colors. The 36"-wide, Class A fire-rated sheets consist of 49% cellulose, 40% kenaf (grass), and 11% PLA (biobased polyester) with recycled newspaper backing, and are printed with water-based inks. Organics carries a five-year limited warranty and is recyclable through the company's reclamation program.
Textile and vinyl wall coverings are commonly used in commercial buildings for sound control and durability. Paper and vinyl "wallpaper" is widely used in homes.
Avoiding polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products is environmentally desirable for several reasons. Interior finishes containing PVC can be a significant source of VOCs. During disposal at the end of the wall covering's useful life, toxins (including dioxin) may be released if the material is incinerated.
Combustion of PVC during accidental building fires can produce both dioxin and hydrochloric acid. Phthalate plasticizers in many vinyl products, including wall coverings, are also increasingly being identified as health concerns, particularly due to their ability to mimic natural hormones. Finally, most vinyl wall coverings have very low moisture permeability, and there is potential for mold growth if moisture is trapped behind these wall coverings.
Choosing wall coverings goes beyond simply avoiding PVC. Many wall coverings will have high percentages of recycled content and/or rapidly renewable materials, such as wood fiber, jute, and bamboo. Be sure to seek out wall coverings that have received indoor air quality certifications, such as FloorScore or Greenguard Children & Schools, that ensure compliance with CDPH Standard Method v1.1.
Using low-VOC adhesives is another important step in establishing good indoor air quality. For a selection of low-VOC wall covering adhesives, see our Wall Covering Adhesives section.
Products listed here are synthetic and natural-fiber alternatives to PVC-based wall coverings. GreenSpec encourages the selection of wall coverings with recycled content, rapidly renewable content, and indoor air quality certifications.
LEED Credits
EQc4.2: Low-Emitting Materials—Paints&Coatings
IEQc4.2: Low-Emitting Materials—Paints and Coatings
Ratings and Commentary
Add Comment
Similar Products
Manufacturer Information
Facebook
Twitter
