8/18/2019 Building Green Toolkit RecycledMaterials SpecSheet

1/2GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM GUIDES

Wood Specification:

Recycled Materials

Recycled content: the proportion, by mass, ofrecycled material in a productor packaging. Only pre-consumerand post-consumer material isconsidered as recycled content,as defined under ISO 14021Environmental Labels andDeclarations—Self-DeclaredEnvironmental Claims(Type II Environmental Labelling).

Pre-consumer recycled material: material diverted from the wastestream during a manufacturingprocess. Materials generatedin a process and capable ofbeing reclaimed within the sameprocess (such as rework, regrindor scrap) are excluded.

Post-consumer recycled material: 

material generated by householdsor by commercial, industrial, orinstitutional facilities in theirrole as end users of a productthat will no longer be used for itsintended purpose.

Assembly recycled content:the recycled proportion ofa material that is calculatedby dividing the weight of therecycled content by the overallweight of the assembly.

ResourcesConstruction Specifications Institute,GreenFormat (www.greenformat.com): database of products containingrecycled content.

Scientific Certification Systems(www.scscertified.com/gbc/recycledmaterials.php): products madefrom pre-consumer or post-consumermaterial can qualify for recycledcontent certification.

Terminology

Recycled content products are made from materials that would otherwisehave been discarded either during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer)

or at the end of service life (post-consumer). Specifying recycled content productsplays an essential part in reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills,the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with newproduct manufacture, and the impacts of ecosystem degradation associatedwith resource extraction.

The use of wood products with recycled content is relatively straightforward.Products such as:

• particleboard• oriented strand board• parallel strand lumber

are cost effective, familiar to the trades, and can contribute a high proportion ofrecycled content to the overall calculations. Furniture is generally not included incalculating the percentage of recycled content.

Why Recycled Materials Add Value

• Building products that include some or all recycled content reduce the need for virgin materials in newconstruction. Using recycled materials reduces the need to landfill these materials. It also reduces theenvironmental impacts associated with extracting and processing virgin materials.

• Buying recycled-content building products helps to ensure that materials collected in recyclingprograms will be used again in the manufacture of new products. Benefits of maximizing therecycled content in materials include the ability to:

 › Demonstrate performance against corporate responsibility and sustainability policieswithout incurring a cost premium

 › Reduce materials cost; e.g., where locally reprocessed demolition materials are cheaperthan virgin materials

 › Provide a competitive edge through differentiation › Make reclamation and recycling more economic

 › Satisfy the values held by clients and their employees

 › Complement other aspects of sustainable design

• Green building rating systems award credits where a prescribed percentage of materials

containing recycled content is used in a building’s design.

• Many products with higher levels of recycledcontent are available from mainstream

manufacturers—who subject the productsto the usual tests—in high volumes, and atcosts that are competitive with equivalentproducts containing less recycled material.

• It is important to set goals early in thedesign process and to document them in thespecification documents as part of the project’soverall green building goals. Set appropriaterecycled content targets based on the project’sbudget and ensure related requirements arecaptured in the construction documents alongwith approved alternatives.

• Increasing the recycled content of buildingmaterials need not impact design nor restrict

the choice of products. Simply select productscontaining higher levels of recycled material inplace of products containing lower amounts.

• The use of life cycle assessment tools may provhelpful in the decision-making process becausesome materials with recycled content mayrequire more frequent care and maintenance.

• Coordinate recycled material procurement witha construction waste management plan in ordeto make use of on-site salvaged deconstructionand demolition waste.

How to Include Products Containing Recycled Content in Design  

8/18/2019 Building Green Toolkit RecycledMaterials SpecSheet

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Pre-design: calculate baseline budget

Wood Specification: Recycled Materials

What to Ask Suppliers

• Material technical data must be acquired fromsuppliers, usually in the form of environmentalinformation sheets and technical spec sheetsthat clearly spell out the proportion of recycledcontent in the total assembly of the product(based on weight). Recycled content percentagesshould be provided for post-consumerand pre-consumer content.

• Make sure that the supplier provides themanufacturer’s contact information so thatadditional information can be obtainedif required.

• 14021 Environmental Labels andDeclarations—Self-Declared EnvironmentalClaims (Type II Environmental Labelling) is theinternational standard used to verify recycledcontent in products.

Procedure

Where possible, take ownership of core tasks, including:

• Estimate, at key stages in the project, thepotential baseline and good practice levels ofrecycled content for the project as a whole.

• Identify opportunities that might deliver “quickwins” in terms of offering higher recycled content,and determine how the project can meet theclient’s requirement.

• Negotiate and agree how the contractor willmeet a request for good practice; e.g., agree onthe actual levels of recycled content to be used,through discussions with contractors and projectcost consultants.

• Prepare specifications that stipulate therequirements to be met by the contractor

and trades.• Advise the client about the documentation

process and the need to check that the productcomplies with the project requirements.

• Establish and track information about themanufacturer, product cost (excluding labourand equipment), and proportion of pre-consumerand post-recycled content in the raw materialsof each product.

recycled content value ($) =(% post-consumer recycled content ($) × materials cost) +(% pre-consumer recycled content ($) × materials cost)*

* = some rating systems may apply a factor for pre-consumer recycled content

Design: estimate total material costsfor site work and construction sections.

Design: use the default budgetmethod of 45% of materials.

or

Design: start with big-ticket items: identify materialsand products with recycled content, integrate into design,and specify early.

Construction: track recycled content of materials in aspreadsheet with other materials; calculating percentages forpoints, and reassess as needed.

Throughout: revisit the project’s budget calculationsthroughout design and construction to ensure the project ison track to achieve its goals.

Photographer: Peter Powle

 

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