In this four-part series, Shaw will be exploring trends in where and how we live, and the movement toward more sustainable housing, offices and other buildings that embraces occupant wellbeing.
As much as I love to spend time outside hiking with my family, exploring new
countries with my husband, or enjoying the lake or mountains with friends, my
average day is spent largely indoors. And I’m not alone. On average, people
spend approximately 90 percent of their time
indoors.
With this being the reality for so many of us, it’s no surprise that the
definition of sustainability has broadened beyond traditional operational
measures (such as energy, water and recycled content), and even
social and philanthropic impacts, to an increased interest in material
health
and how commercial and residential spaces impact people.
Some are calling this the “second wave of sustainability” — and there are a
number of factors pointing to and driving this market shift.
Sustainable building programs and design standards are evolving to embrace and
consider factors such as material health and noise alongside other building
performance metrics. At the same time, new standards have emerged such as the
WELL Building Standard, with a stated mission
to improve human health and wellbeing in buildings and communities throughout
the world. The US Green Building Council’s LEED certification (LEED
v4) includes a focus on material health as part
of the latest iteration, and there is a proliferation of new certifications and
reporting tools available to assess or disclose chemical ingredients. This shift
is not limited to the building industry. Major mass merchant, outdoor and online
retailers and others have unveiled chemical strategies in the past few years.
Behind the evolution
NGOs are publishing reports, engaging with media, and fostering relationships
with elected officials and like-minded organizations. They are advocating for
policy changes and drawing scrutiny to the ingredients that go into products,
and their potential impact on people and communities and the environment.
Industry and mainstream media are also elevating the focus on wellness in the
built environment. And, there is an increase in consumer consciousness of
healthy living, healthy homes and wellness topics. What was once the territory
of niche media has now become common coverage for more broad-based print media,
TV news and radio.
Discussions about chemicals of concern — that were previously limited to
technical conferences or solely focused on food, cosmetics and consumer products
— are now becoming mainstream within the built environment sector.
As a global flooring manufacturer, our 20-year commitment to Cradle to Cradle®
principles provides a framework that focuses on
material health and the ingredients that go into our products. Additionally, our
sustainability efforts not only include ongoing evaluation and
improvement
of our operational footprint, but also an ever-broadening range of topics — from
moisture to sound abatement — through the sustainability lens. We believe that
everyone should have access to safe, sustainable products for their homes and
workspaces.
With greater access to information, consumers are increasingly curious about
what ingredients are going into their homes, workplaces and schools.
Expectations about how products are designed and how those products impact the
people that use them. It’s a journey we’ve been on for two decades, but the
market is ever-evolving; new information emerges daily; and technology
frequently changes. It presents an opportunity for us to continually think about
how we can best create a positive human experience with our actions.
Over the next three months, Shaw will be exploring how this shift is impacting
specific sectors — and how we can all help sustain HUMAN ability. We’ll look
at trends in where and how we live, and the movement toward more sustainable
housing that embraces occupant wellbeing. We’ll focus on places where we work,
and how sustainability factors into other demographic, societal and design
shifts. And we’ll examine the intersection of sustainability and healthcare —
looking at how caregiver training and the spaces where we heal are changing.
Published May 3, 2019 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Vice President of Sustainability & Corporate Communications
Shaw Industries
Susan Farris is VP of Sustainability & Corporate Communications at Shaw Industries, based in Dalton, Georgia.
Sponsored Content
/ This article is sponsored by
Shaw Industries.
This article, produced in cooperation with the Sustainable Brands editorial team, has been paid for by one of our sponsors.
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