ATLANTA-- As green building shifts from an emerging trend to a viable mainstream option, architects and building contractors are rapidly adapting green building practices to remain competitive. This includes the use of green building products to achieve energy efficiency, water conservation and indoor environmental quality goals.
According to the 2008 McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports, the majority of specifiers (88 percent) in non-residential construction are using some form of green building product in their projects, with that number expected to increase to 91 percent in 2013.
Making wise product selections can be challenging, especially when confronted by a myriad of marketing claims, concerns about green washing and no single source for reliable industry-independent, third-party information. More than one-half of those surveyed for the 2008 McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports said green certification programs are valuable or very valuable in selecting green products.
"Even though green product standards and certifications offer helpful guidance and assurances, there are significant differences, which lead to confusion in the market place. Specifiers, building owners, contractors, homebuilders and consumers need a clear understanding of what each program offers and what it means when a product carries a particular certification mark," said Tony Worthan, President and COO of Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS).
To assist specifiers, AQS has published a review report, titled Primary Green Product Standards and Certification Programs: A Comparison. This paper, based on the McGraw-Hill Construction 2008 SmartMarket Reports, compares eight certification/label programs McGraw-Hill studied as the primary market movers: ENERGY STAR(R), WaterSense(R), Cradle to Cradle(TM) Certification, Green Seal(R), GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM), GreenSpec(R) Directory, Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R).
"Other points of confusion are the type of certification, its value to the buyer or specifier and its overall effectiveness in providing public assurance. Standard setting bodies, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), offer definitions which provide differentiation between programs," said Mr. Worthan.
To help resolve the confusion, this report provides working definitions for first, second and third-party standard/certification programs. Each program is then categorized according to publicly available information. The white paper also features a table that summarizes each of the programs based on accreditation, type of product standard or certification and currently available LEED(R) credits for the certified products.
The report is available online at the link below.
Primary Green Product Standards and Certification Programs: A Comparison
Comments, Pingbacks:
No Comments/Pingbacks for this post yet...
