A review of green product databases

A Review of Green ProductDatabasesPrachi Nimse, Abhilash Vijayan, Ashok Kumar, and Charanya VaradarajanDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606

Published online 14 June 2007 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ep.10210

INTRODUCTION

The extraction of natural resources for manufactur-ing and production has resulted in the speedy deple-tion of our once vast natural wealth. Large quantityof resources currently in excess of 10 tons of rawmaterials per person annually is extracted in theUnited States (US) alone [1]. During production, vari-ous toxic chemicals are used and released, which arenot only harmful to the workers but also to the sur-rounding environment. The waste generated duringthe production process is partially treated and dis-posed into the streams or taken to the landfills, thusresulting in the pollution of land, water, and airmedia. According to the US Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA), *12 billion tons of industrial waste isgenerated every year in the US, of which over 4 bil-lion tons is hazardous and is growing at a rate of 10%annually [1]. After production, many finished productsin use emit harmful toxic chemicals. For example,paints may emit volatile organic compounds thatcould have lethal impact on the people nearby andthe environment. At the end of its life cycle the prod-uct usually finds a place in landfills or incinerationplants, adding to the already rising problem of solidand hazardous waste.

Environmental awareness created over the lastthree decades has led to the consideration of sustain-able activities at different levels of government, cor-poration, and public sectors. Everyone is looking fora healthier environment at a reasonable cost. Theconcept of using green products emerged to help so-ciety achieve sustainable consumption, and manyprograms have been launched in the wake of suchrealizations in the industrialized nations to addressthis opportunity.

The outcome of regulatory and consumer con-sciousness to the protection of the environment dueto vast research based information available on the

web has resulted in the introduction and popularityof green products. Numerous organizations have cre-ated unique websites documenting their knowledgeon alternative products that help the humans and theenvironment. A search on Yahoo! search engine onMay 15, 2007 came up with over 1 million potentialsites on the phrase ‘‘Green Products’’ alone. Althoughthe availability of such extensive information is agood step towards environmental sustainability, itcreates a dilemma for the environmental professionalsin choosing the green products. The purpose of thisstudy is to present the reader a brief review of usefulsites on the subject along with a few selected greenproduct databases in each industry.

USE OF GREEN PRODUCTS

Green products may be defined as products thatcontain recycled materials, reduce waste, conserveenergy or water, use less packaging, and reduce theamount of toxics disposed or consumed as shown inFigure 1. These products are less harmful on humansand their environment compared with the traditionalproducts in use, and are more socially, economically,and environmentally viable in the long run.

Pollution is generated at almost all the stages inthe life cycle of a product viz, during production,use, and disposal. Therefore, greening the manufac-turing process from the start to the end of the life-cycle will have tremendous positive impacts for theentire ecosystem [2,3]. Berger points out that becauseof environmental challenges, cost competition, con-sumer and shareholder demands; the need for pollu-tion prevention is stronger than ever [4]. More specifi-cally, pollution prevention (P2) in an industrial envi-ronment means the in-plant practices, including, butnot limited to process modifications, feedstock substi-tutions, product reformulation, and management prac-tices or housekeeping alterations, recycling withinindustrial processes, and equipment replacement ormodifications [3,5]. Environmentally conscious manu-

SOFTWARE REVIEWS

� 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Environmental Progress (Vol.26, No.2) July 2007 131

facturing takes into account the regulations andrequirements for environmental safety to fully incorpo-rate the perspective in the manufacturing of new prod-ucts from conceptual design to final delivery and to theend-of-life disposal [6].

In recent times, it is observed that there has beena sudden boom in the industries for green productsand the consumers too are looking for greener prod-ucts. Some studies suggest that consumers not onlydesire to purchase the environmentally friendly prod-ucts but also are willing to pay more to do so. Therehas also been an increase in the number of firms pro-ducing greener products. In various parts of theworld green marketplaces are developing to deliverthe products to those consumers whose buying deci-sions are at least partly affected by their personalenvironmental criteria [7]. For example, Martin andSimintiras state a 2000 percent increase in the numberof green products offered by companies in the 5years to 1990, bringing the green products to a 9.2%of all new product introductions in the UK in the firsthalf of 1990 [8]. Similar increases in the number ofgreen products available to consumers were observedin the US over the same period as well. For example,the 5% of new green products identified in the USmarket in 1989 increased to 10% in 1990 [9]. Studiesalso show that *83.7% consumers preferred buyingfood packaged in environmentally safe materials,with a 77.6% willing to pay more for such packaging,clearly showing that consumers play an importantrole on purchasing ecologically sound products [10].The increasing number of green product customerscan be concluded from the Gallop surveys whichconcluded that >75% of US consumers include envi-

ronmental consciousness in their shopping decisions[11].

AVAILABLE DATABASES AND TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLEPRODUCT SELECTION

The characteristics of green products can vary sig-nificantly depending on the materials. The evaluationof green products due to its high variability requiresa working knowledge of (1) relevant health and envi-ronmental impact issues associated with different ma-terial types, (2) government, industry, and third-partystandards for green products, where they exist, and(3) available green products in the marketplace,including their specific green attributes, performancecharacteristics, appearance, and costs [12].

EPA’s Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG)program promotes the reuse of recovered materialfrom solid waste, thus ensuring manufacturing usingrecycled materials. The CPG designates items in thefollowing eight product categories: paper and paperproducts, vehicular products, construction products,transportation products, park and recreation prod-ucts, landscaping products, nonpaper office products,and miscellaneous products (Table1). EPA gathers in-formation based on research and several require-ments of the Resource Conservation and RecoveryAct (RCRA), to identify products that have a potentialto be manufactured from recovered materials. Theavailability of the recovered material, the impact of itsprocurement on the solid waste stream and economicand technological feasibility of the procurement areall considered before selecting potential recyclablematerial. The different categories that EPA addressesare published in a series of fact sheets summarizing

Figure 1. Characteristics of green products (Source: compiled from http://www.wbdg.org/design/greenproducts.php).

132 July 2007 Environmental Progress (Vol.26, No.2)

information on the CPG program, EPA’s recoveredmaterials content recommendations, case studies,and key resources, associations, and partner web-sites [13].

The Sustainable Hospitals Program (SHP) devel-oped by the Lowell Center for Sustainable Productionprovides a list of occupational and environmentalfriendly alternative products for the health care indus-try to attain hazard free and sustainable work prac-tices. The SHP concentrates on practices and prod-ucts that minimize hazards and cost while maximizingquality care. The SHP integrates the concepts of pol-lution prevention with safer work practices in thehealth care industry to bring about environmentalsustainability without compromising the occupationaland environmental safety. The SHP website hosts in-formation on the material and work practices in thehealth industry, and the tools to help in evaluatingthe current practices in a hospital, and the alternativematerials to make a healthier hospital. The tool offersdifferent search options for ease of use such as findproducts by category, manufacturer, hazard, or prod-uct name. Table2 lists the different categories of

green products for the health care industry as givenin SHP [14].

Energy management and the use of energy effi-cient choices can help reduce energy consumptionand energy costs, thus indirectly saving the environ-ment from increased green house gas emissions.ENERGY STAR, a collaborative program by the EPAand the Department of Energy makes available certi-fied energy star product information for both com-mercial and noncommercial everyday uses that pro-vide a sustainable solution to the energy and environ-mental crisis without sacrificing the comfort. Theprogram also offers tools and resources to help de-velop a viable energy reduction strategy that allowsthe consumer to monitor current energy performance,set goals and track savings, and as a result improvethe comfort, reduce the energy bills and protect theenvironment. Over 30,000 buildings across the nationhave already used EPA’s innovative energy perform-ance rating system. EPA also recognizes top perform-ing buildings with the ENERGY STAR. Products in>50 categories that use less energy, save money, andthe environment are eligible for the ENERGY STAR.

Table 1. Product categories in the EPA’s comprehensive procurement guideline program.

Paper and paper productsVehicular products

Engine coolantsRebuilt vehicular partsRe-refined lubricating oilsRetread tires

Construction productsBuilding insulation productsCarpet cushionCement and concrete containing coal fly ashGround granulated blast furnace slagCenospheres, or silica fumeConsolidated and reprocessed latex paintFloor tilesFlowable fillLaminated paperboardModular threshold rampsNonpressure pipePatio blocksPolyester carpetRailroad grade crossing surfacesRoofing materialsShower and restroom dividers and partitionsStructural fiberboard

Transportation productsChannelizersDelineatorsFlexible delineatorsParking stopsTraffic barricadesTraffic cones

Park and recreation productsPark benches and picnic tablesPlastic fencingPlayground equipment

Playground surfacesRunning tracks

Landscaping productsFood waste compostGarden and soaker hosesHydraulic mulchLawn and garden edgingPlastic lumber landscaping timbers and posts

Yard trimmings compostNonpaper office products

Binders (plastic covered, chipboard, and pressboard)Office furnitureOffice recycling containersOffice waste receptaclesPlastic bindersPlastic clipboardsPlastic file foldersPlastic clip portfoliosPlastic presentation foldersPlastic desktop accessoriesPlastic envelopesPlastic trash bagsPrinter ribbonsToner cartridges

Miscellaneous productsAwards and plaquesBike racksBlasting gritIndustrial drumsManual-grade strappingMatsPalletsSignageSorbents


The ENERGY STAR website has exhaustive informa-tion on different product categories such as commer-cial appliances, commercial food service, commercialheating and cooling, commercial transformers, com-mercial lighting, construction products, electronics,office products, residential appliances, residentialheating and cooling, and residential lighting [15].

Green Seal is an independent, nonprofit organiza-tion that evaluates and certifies green products.Green Seal issued its first environmental standards in1991–1992, and currently their standards cover over40 major product categories. The organizationactively assists government agencies, universities, andbuilding industries in practicing green sustainableoperations and options that improve the quality ofboth the business and life. The different productscategorized under the certification program includehand cleaners, electric chillers, cleaners, fleet vehiclemaintenance, floor care products, lodging properties,paints and coatings, papers and newsprint, and win-dows and doors. Choose Green Reports function pro-vides information on the potential savings, alternateapproaches, purchasing criteria based on a life-cycleapproach, rationales for the criteria, recommenda-tions of specific brands and models of products thatmeet the criteria, product sources, and case historiesthat illustrate the benefits of the recommendedapproach. The website is also very detailed in provid-ing basic information on the benefits of greening thepurchasing and products supply chain [16].

Recycled-Content Product Directory is a databaseof products containing recycled materials along withadditional information on the manufacturers, distribu-tors, and re-processors of these products. This data-base is aimed at individuals, small businesses owners,state agencies, and corporate buyers. The information

provided in the directory by the California IntegratedWaste Management Board includes different productcategories such as agriculture and landscape, animalhusbandry, automotive and traffic, clothing andaccessories, construction, containers, feedstock, floor-ing, furniture and accessories, industrial, marine,office supplies, packaging, paper and paper products,parks, and recreation and sports [17].

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustain-ability (BEES) software is a decision support tool thathelps to select cost-effective and environmentallypreferable building products. The tool is developedby the National Institute of Standards and Technol-ogy, and hosts economic performance data for over230 building products. The environmental perform-ance is measured by assessing its entire life cyclefrom raw material acquisition to manufacture, trans-portation, installation, use, recycling, and waste man-agement. Economic performance of a product ismeasured using the lifecycle cost method and is com-bined with its environmental performance into anoverall performance measure to assist in multi-ele-ment decision making [18]. Many tools utilize theconcepts of environmental sustainability in productselection for building performance analysis andreviews of some of the important tools are given byVijayan and Kumar [19,20].

Database of Green Products version 1.0, ‘‘DGP1.0,’’developed at the University of Toledo [21] is a con-tinuing effort to gather and make available informa-tion on a variety of green products from differentweb resources at one place for easy accessibility forthe consumers. The main purpose of the database isto help the consumers, whether commercial ordomestic, to identify the green options that are avail-able for various purposes, thus enabling them to

Table 2. Green product categories for health care industry from the sustainable hospitals program.

By category By hazard

Barometers Latex free products—Catalogs and suppliers Accelerators(in rubber products)

Batteries Manufacturers of alternative materialsand processes

Cadmium

Bedding products Neonatal products CleanersBlood bags Office supplies—PVC-free DEHPBody bags Patient identification bracelets ErgonomicCatheters Radiation shielding FormaldehydeCleaning Recycling equipment GlutaraldehydeDental mercury removal systems Respiratory therapy products LatexDialysis Safety needles and sharps devices MercuryDisinfection and sterilization Scoliometers PVCElectrodes Sequential compression device RadiationEnteral feeding products Shower curtains SharpsGastrointestinal tubes Sphygmomanometers and calibrators WasteGloves Sterilants XyleneHome Care products—Sharps boxes Thermometers—Lab and industrialInfectious waste (red) bags Thermometers—MedicalIV solutions and sets Total parenteral nutrition (TPN)Laboratory chemicals and equipment Vaccines


Table 3. Additional resources on green products.

Green procurement/EPP

ATHENA Environmental assessment tool that helpsbuilding designers to compareenvironmental affects, find alternativedesign solutions based on life cycleanalysis of structural products,cladding products, gypsum boards,and other related building products

http://www.athenasmi.ca/tools/database/index.html

Coating applications researchlaboratory (CARL)

Helps Midwest manufacturers to teststate-of-the-art pollution preventiontechnologies under the guidance ofpersonnel expert in their application

http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/CMTI/CARL/

Consumer reports greener choice Evaluate green products based onenvironmental claims, explain issues,and make recommendations forchoosing products

http://www.greenerchoices.org/

Eco S.A.T (Self-assessment tool) Designed to help professional purchasersevaluate their organization’senvironmental purchasing initiativesand identify opportunities forimprovement

http://www.cec.org/eco-sat/english/index.html

ECO-Find Provides information and access to theincreasing number of green productsuppliers by product search orkeyword search

http://www.ecobuy.org.au/director/ecofind.cfm

Ecospecifier Database of eco-preferable products andmaterials for the construction industry,specifically targeted at the needs ofdecision makers

http://www.ecospecifier.org/content/view/full/43

Environmental productsguide—GSA

Environmental product and servicesdatabase for federal customers tocomply with procurementresponsibilities outlined in federalenvironmental laws and regulations

www.gsa.gov/enviro

Environmental stewardship—Pollution prevention—Los Alamos national laboratory(P3O) material substitutionresource list

Provides information on materialsubstitution alternatives and links toover 26 material substitution relatedsites on the Internet

https://nicext.lanl.gov/

EPEAT Ranks computer desktops, laptops andmonitors based on their environmentalattributes

http://www.epeat.net/

EPP database Environmental information database onover 600 products and services to helpin purchasing products and serviceswith reduced environmental impacts

http://yosemite1.epa.gov/oppt/eppstand2.nsf

Global Eco-labeling network Environmental performance labelingorganization to improve, promote anddevelop the eco-labeling of productsand services

http://www.gen.gr.jp/

Greenspec Directory of environmentally preferredproducts based on 27 criteria,including recycled content, reduceddemolition impacts, durability, andenergy efficiency

http://www.buildinggreen.com/

ILSR Provides information on substitutes forsynthetic chemicals

http://www.ilsr.org/

Northeast recycling council Directory is a compendium of vendorwebsites that either sell greenproducts or provide green services

http://www.nerc.org/GreenPurchasing/adtnlgrnvndrs.html

(continued)


select and adopt environment friendly practices andprocesses. DGP1.0 tool is aimed to assist small andmedium sized industries in their pollution preventionefforts to build a safe and healthy environment. Thistool presents >400 products that contain recycledcontent, reduce waste, conserve energy or water, useless packaging, and reduce the amount of toxics dis-posed or consumed are considered to be green prod-ucts that are based on a review of over 300 sites. Fol-lowing is the list of product types available in thedatabase:� Industrial: Wrenches, cleaners, clutch, computingproducts, control valves, flow meters, industrialcleaning products, insulation products, industrialcoatings, industrial fasteners, industrial heavy prod-ucts, insulation products, laser products, lubricants,primers, industrial tools, industrial suppliers etc.

� Construction: Brush, fillers, paint, finishes, floor-ing products, interior products, polishes etc.

� Household: Cleaning devices, bio-products, cloth-ing and accessories, green composting, soaps, sol-utions, floor products, wood care products, carpercare equipments etc.

� Stationary: Binders-cardboards, paper products,recycled laser copier, furniture, office products etc.

� Electrical: Energy devices (air terminal devices,indoor coils, gas furnace, light rooftops, fans, re-frigeration etc) and lighting (lamps, solar power,flashlights etc.)DGP1.0 provides sustainable alternatives for com-

mon items and lists information such as product cate-gory, sustainable alternatives, advantages, additionalinformation, and product prices for each product.The DGP tool is prepared in Microsoft Access whichhelps in quick and efficient querying. DGP reportalso displays all possible available sources in eachcategory that will help the user to narrow down thesearch to get relevant information on the productsand their market prices for easy comparison.

Many other tools and databases are available onthe internet. A detailed list of additional pollutionprevention resources available on the web are givenby Vijayan et al. [22]. A limited list on some of thosesustainable procurement tools are given in Table3.

CONCLUSION

The unrestricted use of resources since the indus-trial revolution has led to a series of environmentalissues. With the growing population, the need toimplement resource-efficient measures on human ac-tivity to reduce strain on the resource capacity of theearth has become obligatory. The move towardsgreen products is one step towards achieving ahealthier ecosystem. Better information sharing andadvanced environmental consciousness of individualsand businesses will revolutionize green procurementto greater heights leading to increased use of greenproducts in every day activities.

REFERENCES

1. Beamon, B.M. (1999). Designing the green sup-ply chain, Logistics Information Management, 12,332–342.

2. Eyring, G. (1992). Green Products by Design:Choices for a Cleaner Environment, Collingdate,PA: Diane Publishing Company.

3. Kumar, A., Rao, H.G., Vijayan, A., & Varadarajan,C. (2006). Pollution prevention. In S. Lee (Ed.),Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing, (pp. 2231–2246), New York: Marcel Dekker. DOI: 10.1081/E-ECHP-120006820.

4. Berger, S.A. (2000). Pollution prevention: The needis stronger than ever, Environmental. Progress, 19, S3.

5. Kumar, A., Thomas, S., & Ojha, S. (2002). Pollu-tion prevention tools for small and medium sizedindustries. In Proceedings of 95th A&WMA An-nual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, June 2002.

Table 3. Additional resources on green products (Continued)

Green procurement/EPP

NSW green goods Helps government employees toincorporate sustainability principlesinto purchasing decisions andprocurement systems

http://www.greengoods.nsw.gov.au/index.htm

Performance specificationsdatabase

Assist purchasers to buy the mostenvironmentally preferable paints andcoatings that meet stated performancespecifications

http://www.pprc.org/specs/index.cfm

SAGE—Solvents alternativeguide

Comprehensive guide providingpollution prevention information onsolvent and process alternatives forparts cleaning and degreasing

http://clean.rti.org

UNEP-IAPSO product criteriadatabase

Search database for websites onsustainable procurement and on eco-labeling programs

http://www.uneptie.org/pc/sustain/policies/green_find.asp


6. Gungor, A., & Gupta, S. M. (1999). Issues in envi-ronmentally conscious manufacturing and prod-uct recovery: A survey, Computers and IndustrialEngineering, 36, 811–853.

7. Hartmann, P., & Ibanez, V. (2006). Green valueadded, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 24,673–680.

8. Martin, B., & Simintiras, A.C. (1995). The impactof green product lines on the environment: Doeswhat they know affect how they feel?, MarketingIntelligence and Planning, 13, 16–23.

9. Mendleson, N., & Polonsky, M. (1995). Using stra-tegic alliances to develop credible green market-ing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 12, 4–18.

10. Manrai, L., Manrai, A., Lascu, D., & Ryans, J. (1997).How green claim strength and country dispositionaffect product evaluation and company image, Psy-chology and Marketing, 14, 511–537.

11. Kleiner, A. (1991). What does it mean to begreen?, Harvard Business Review, 69, 38–47(DOI: 10.1225/91410).

12. John Amatruda, R.A. Evaluating and selectinggreen products, Steven Winter Associates,available at http://www.wbdg.org/design/greenproducts.php, accessed May 2007.

13. EPA. Comprehensive procurement guideline,available at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

non-hw/procure/factshts.htm, accessed May2007.

14. Sustainable Hospitals Program, available athttp://www.sustainablehospitals.org/HTMLSrc/Project.html, accessed May 2007.

15. EPA, ENERGY STAR, available at http://www.energystar.gov/, accessed May 2007.

16. Green Seal, available at http://www.greenseal.org/, accessed May 2007.

17. Recycled Content Product Directory, available athttp://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP/Search.asp,accessed May 2007.

18. BEES, available at http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees.html, accessed May 2007.

19. Vijayan A., & Kumar, A. (2005). A review of toolsto assess the sustainability in building construc-tion, Environmental Progress, 24, 125–132.

20. Vijayan, A., Kumar, A. (2005). Development of atool for analyzing the sustainability of residentialbuildings in Ohio, Environmental Progress, 24,238–247.

21. Database of Green Products, available at http://p2tools.utoledo.edu/, accessed May 2007.

22. Vijayan, A., Varadarajan, C., & Kumar, A. (2006).Application of computer-aided tools for achievingenvironmental sustainability, Environmental Pro-gress, 25, 279–290.


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A review of green product databases