Are you LEEDing the industry on?

“However, a company can position itself to be a supplier of materials that will help a project earn a host of different Leed credits.

For example, Cemex can supply products to reduce the UHI (urban heat island) effect, contain certain levels of recycled materials, reduce energy consumption in a building or help projects gain innovation credits by surpassing the normal performance requirements.

These are some examples of where the building materials used, can contribute directly to a projects Leed certification.” But Tarana Daroogar, technical services manager for building materials provider Mapei, feels that the correct term is not Leed certified but “Leed compliant”.

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“There is often a misconception on this point. Products are often referred to as ‘Leed compliant,’ which means that they can contribute to the points required for the Leed rating or other green building certifications.

Chant agrees that certain products can help towards attaining a Leed certification but that again depends on a host of many factors, and a product that is pegged to be green could just as well become an offender, depending on the way it is used.

“It’s a very strict process and each material is assessed individually. Even products, are then further assessed and what went into making the product is looked at, the conditions it was manufactured in, the resources used and many other factors.”

But with such pressure mounting in the region to become environmentally friendly and sustainable, are building materials manufacturers beginning to really go green and is the same pressure also driving some manufactures to simply ‘green wash’ their products?

“Absolutely,” says Daroogar in response to the former. “Many manufactures are responding to the requirements of the market in the introduction of ‘green’ products, however, we find that some manufactures are taking advantage of this opportunity and trying to label their products as green products, while it requires more detailed analysis of the actual application and conditions of use and also the manufacturing process involved.”

Cemex’s Ortuno agrees: “Sustainable construction is a reality and is clearly becoming a differentiation factor in our industry. Leading companies in the construction sector are implementing green products and practices around the world.

“Being the GCC, one of the top constructions spots in the world, the need to go green will increase. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers are ready to take on such a new challenge and their green products campaign looks more like ‘green wash’ rather than a truly green product.”

But with more and more manufactures becoming responsible, coupled with a more educated market, there is very little space left for green washed products to survive. The economic downturn has had a catastrophic impact on the industry but along with the bad there is good and fake green products are set to be washed away.