The term greenwash is now an integral part of the global vernacular. As ‘green’ products proliferate, it is important that the claims made are backed up by solid foundations and truth.

One way to ensure that the integrity of green products is to conduct a lifecycle assessment. That’s where David Sharp of the Building Products Innovation Council (BPIC) comes in.

At the 2009 Plumbing Supply Forum David presented on Lifecycle Assessment and drove home the point that manufacturers and marketers must base their product claims on solid foundations, especially when making a statement about environmental attributes.

For instance, what does ‘locally sourced’, ‘recycled content’ or ‘low ecological impact’ really mean?

The introduction of Green Star credits for material products is a way of measuring the impact of materials, and would encourage a holistic look at the product’s global footprint. For instance, how much resmelting is needed for an imported steel product? Is it actually worth importing this product, if the footprint is larger than the cost to buy?

When looking at a product, it is necessary to know where the material is manufactured from, how it is transported, how it is wrapped etc.

“If you’re not measuring it, you can’t control it,” says David.

Which is where lifecycle assessments are so important.

“Waste is something you have no market for, so you have to find the market. You have to take a lifecycle inventory and create an agreed way of measuring things. How long will a building product last, what is its serviceable life? .Look at processes and products. How well founded are the claims being made?

Lifecycle assessment is about measuring the products impact against its value. If the product measures up poorly, it may be time to be creative.

“We need to innovate to mitigate environmental impact and liabilities.”

To see David’s full presentation, click on the link below.