Product Impact Through Specification
“Even when we aren’t consciously paying attention to it, the built environment fundamentally influences our behavior, experience, and even well-being. It has a latent power, playing an active role in our lives.” -Source Manifesto
But it doesn’t end there. The design process plays a key role in the impact the built environment has on the environment, occupants and even ethical practices.
Every year, Designers and Architects specification decisions impact:
$429B of US GDP
170M tons US waste
39% of global carbon emissions
In the early 2000’s sustainability became a hot topic among designers and with the recent events of a global pandemic and black lives matter movement, it is clear the built environment can play a key role in sustaining human life on earth.
We believe that it’s time for improvement that goes far beyond the merely incremental. We at Source strive to make an Impact.
What are the ways in which interior designers and architects can make an impact in the built environment?
The field of architecture and design provides multiple opportunities for practitioners to create impact in the communities and cities practiced in. Whether that be through working to develop spaces for the underserved to lessening the impact products have on the environment. This work starts during pre-planning meetings with clients and continues through the specification process. The decisions designers make during the various phases of design can have a significant positive or negative impact on the built environment. Which is why at Source we believe it funnels down to building product specifications. Product specification has the power to lessen environmental degradation, create healthier spaces, and support social justice. At Source we found the conversation too limiting when we used the term sustainability, in lieu we like to say Product Impact Categories because it encompasses the health and wellbeing of people, the resilience of the environment and socially just manufacturing practices.
What are examples of Product Impact Categories?
We like to keep it simple and categorize the impact categories into three areas: People, Planet, Profit. Product Impact Categories are areas designers can be mindful of when specifying building products. Let's break it down:
People Impact Category encompasses a variety of impacts associated with the health of the human species. Data has demonstrated prolonged exposure to a product of concern can have long term and/or short term impact to occupant health. Whether that be fatigue from lack of daylighting, to endocrine disruptors in a solvent, to sedentary syndrome. Humans experience the built environment through touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. We know it sounds weird that humans can contact building materials through taste but if you think of a young child, they experience the world through touch and taste. They put everything in their mouth including building products. In order to holistically categorize the People Impact Category it is important to consider the young, the underserved, the disabled, the factory workers, the installers and anyone else that comes into contact with the product from a raw state to the end of life.
Occupant mental health is surging with research these days as the industry becomes more aware of the facets that building products have on occupant health. Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Suny Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University joined forces to study the impact of cognitive function in building environments. From their 1st and 2nd study they determined, function test scores doubled in indoor environments with improved indoor environmental quality. In 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design by Terrapin they outline the relationship between nature, human biology and the design of the built environment. Studies show that biophilic patterns can have a rejuvenating impact on the psyche by alleviating stress, and absenteeism. This proves that the products specified in indoor environments have an impact on not only occupant long term health but occupant mental health.
We like to ask: Does this material contain chemicals known to be detrimental to human health? Does this material contain ingredients known to affect the wellbeing and cognitive development of children? Does the manufacturing or installation process affect workers short or long term? Does it require aggressive cleaning agents?
For example, antimicrobials are used to inhibit bacterial growth and the unintended consequence is they are linked to being an endocrine disruptor, shown to impair learning and weaken muscle function. Currently they are banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in household products such as hand soap but are still present in common building materials such as paints, countertops, and doorknobs. Research shows that when built into building products they are not currently proven to have antiviral properties according to Healthy Building Network and Perkins and Will. Antimicrobials are one of the many chemicals that have unintended consequences in building products. For an extensive list of building products that have known health concerns visit Transparency Perkins and Will Precautionary List or International Living Future Institute Red List.
We invite you to Specify with Impact.
Planet Impact Category entails the impact buildings have on the environment. From the initial extraction of resources to the end of life of a product and everything in between including transportation, manufacturing, shipping, installation, and use through end of life. The sub impact categories for planet are: Air, Water, Soil, Natural Resources, Raw Materials, Energy Consumption, and Waste. For this impact category it is important to understand the life cycle of a product in order to holistically gauge how the product impacts the environment at different stages of the product's life. From the health of our rivers, to the ozone, to precious resources the planet impact category encompasses the ability of the planet to regenerate and sustain life.
Third-Party review has become an important role in material transparency. The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) or Cradle to Cradle (C2C) are two ways to vet products using a third party to review. Both systems look at the life cycle of a product from raw materials to end of life to evaluate the product's impact on the environment. Each evaluates environmental degradation slightly differently. In a nutshell EPD’s is a 3-party reporting tool and C2C is a certification system that only certifies products that meet their rigorous standards.
We like to ask: What is the embodied carbon footprint of the product? What happens during the manufacturing process to the sourcing environment? Has the product been reviewed by a 3rd party for known environmental degradation? Is there tracking information available for the material supply chain?
For example, carpet is a common building material in residential and commercial projects. It provides warmth and coziness to a space but it is also one of the highest contributors to embodied carbon among interior finishes. Its impact can range significantly depending on the products attributes: fiber and backing material, the weave and the dye-method used. Carbon Smart Materials Pallette targets common building products, identifies the carbon impact and offers suggestions on how to write a more sustainable specification.
Profit Impact Category looks at ways the structure, operation, and beliefs of how a business impacts humans, and the environment. This includes a safe working environment, equity in the workplace, benefits provided to the employees, and hiring practices that promote gender and racial diversity. Data published by the New York Times indicated that neighborhoods with poor air quality and higher levels of pollutants have higher mortality rates due to COVID-19. This is known to impact communities that are economically disadvantaged and neighborhoods of color. We believe there is more work to be done to create transparency among manufacturers.
We like to ask: Where is the manufacturing facility located? Does it have equal pay rights? Does the manufacturing facility support the neighboring community? Does this product contribute to a circular economy? Is the manufacturer a minority owned business? What are the business's ethical values? Does the manufacturer provide workers safe working conditions? Does the company promote gender and racial diversity?
For example, say you found two products with equal performance, cost and aesthetic. Specifiers can then look for manufacturers that hold a Minority Woman Owned Business Certificate or use the search engines on Cradle to Cradle to vet fair working conditions or Certified B-Corporation to check for Employee Owned businesses. In 2019 International Living Future Institute released the Just 2.0 Label. This label allows an organization to be transparent and improve upon their social equity.
How can designers do better?
Designers and architects can use the design process and built environment as a vehicle to make short and long term impacts in areas of passion.
As we see it, writing a mindful / impactful specification is similar to voting.
Interior designers and architects can vet and specify products that support manufacturers that represent the ideals of the client, the design team, the stakeholder group or one's personal mission and values. Just think about it, the written specifications, in particular product specifications, have the power to control what products end up on a project. Think about how many products go into a simple TI (tenant improvement project). There are underlayments, adhesives, flooring coverings, wall material cladding, ceiling treatment, lighting, casework, furniture and all the accessories. All of these products have the potential to impact the people, plant and profit in positive or negative ways depending on how a product is sourced, vetted and specified.
A designer can write a specification to clearly outline to the construction team the desired attributes the building product must achieve by using either of the two specification writing methods: performance-based and prescriptive and specifications. If you need a refresher, check out Finish Schedule Template for More Accurate Documentation where we outline the difference between performance-based and prescriptive specification.
A Performance-Based Specification provides the opportunity to describe the type of attributes desired from VOC levels to regional sourcing. In short, a designer details the attributes the product must meet in order to be approved for use on a project.
A Proprietary Specification provides the opportunity to describe the specific manufacturer and product desired. This is where the design team must do the legwork to vet each product to make sure it meets the impact category desired. In short, a designer lists the product that meets a specific certification such as a GreenGuard Certification level.
When specifying materials don’t forget to consider the immediate impact to workers that extract, manufacture, ship, transport, install, and disassemble the products. They should be considered along with the concern for building occupants' well-being.
How does one vet products to address firms, clients or personal goals?
We feel it is important to advocate for material transparency so we know what is in each product. Having material transparency allows specifiers to make informed decisions that are appropriate for each project. However this conversation with manufacturers has been challenging to have since it is difficult to quickly determine what products are made of. We also agree there is label chaos these days which is why our Product Experts can help do the legwork for you. Our Product Experts are regularly working to source products with various attributes such as regional impact and Third-party rating systems.
Resources:
Mindful Materials is an open source data platform with a comprehensive review of human and environmental health information.
https://www.buildinggreen.com/product-guidance
https://www.greenscreenchemicals.org/
https://spot.ul.com/main-app/products/catalog/
At Source we provide a Library Concierge service that allows our design firms to let us know their specific sustainability needs, and along with the other requirements we are able to source products for your project that align best with your values.
Did you know Source has this super handy sourcing filter tool. We help you break down your impact searches by providing 20 sustainability search filters. Salvaged materials to antimicrobial free products can be searched for at the click of a button.
