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Introduction to ecospecifier.org
Ecospecifier © 2008
Ecospecifier © 2008
“ecospecifier is a world-class tool that deserves global input and attention. No other software tool helps designers and specifiers make decisions on
products in such scientifically, environmentally based protocol. I am impressed and sincerely
anxious about seeing ecospecifier gain the global recognition it deserves … We need ecospecifier
out here in the building industry.”
Dr Kath Williams, Fulbright Senior Specialists,Past Chair, US Green Building Council
The power of ecospecifier.org
Ecospecifier © 2008
A highly effective online Business to Business connection between manufacturers of Green Products and the professionals looking to deliver tomorrow’s Green Buildings today!
• Globally unique, the ecospecifier search engine (also in the UAE/Middle East (.ae) and South Africa (.za) is highly effective at generating sales
• Powerful search functions link straight to the driving force within the market - Rating Systems –e.g. LEED®, BREEAM & Green Star™ and other relevant tools;
• Verified eco-information using life-cycle-based analysis
• We make the delivery of green buildings achievable
Our search engine works for everyone
• ecospecifier.org is not a directory site or ecolabel
• all products must meet entry criteria before being accepted for listing
• it is the ONLY source of transparent, verified product whole-of-life cycle based information
• desktop based assessment - unbiased & 3rdparty
How is ecospecifier.org different?
Ecospecifier © 2008
Industry sectors that use ecospecifier.org
Ecospecifier © 2008
engineers (90% multinational
engineering groups)
2%
architects & building designers
25%
consultants 5%
landscape architects & designers
4%
government & facility
management 15%
product manufacturers &
suppliers 13%
interior designers 12%
education (university libraries,
TAFEs etc)
10%
other (incl: industry
associations, home
users & planners)
8%
builders developers
construction 6%
Some of our Industry Subscribers
Ecospecifier © 2008
MIRVACCOX Group
Some of our listed manufacturers
Over 500 manufacturers &suppliers & listings for over 3,500 eco and health preferred building products available in Australasia
Ecospecifier © 2008
AAC
ecospecifier products
80+ product categories 480+sub-categories
Ecospecifier © 2008
To be accepted for listing on ecospecifier.org a commercially available product or material requires:
– one or more unique environmental or health benefits compared to other products in its category and/or
– is a member of a product category that in itself is an ecologically or health preferred category
– does not embody significant damaging chemical or process issues (considered under ‘Issues of concern’ &‘Red Light’ Issues)
All products must meet entry level criteria
Ecospecifier © 2008
How does ecospecifier assess?
Ecospecifier © 2008
We don’t just ‘tick boxes’ and use information provided by manufacturers, our Research Hub:
• Implements an assessment methodology guided by our Product Standards Group, assessing products using ecospecifier, national and international standards, codes, eco-labels, Life Cycle Assessment methodologies and Green Building Rating Schemes;
• Reviews independent test data, third party research and/or expert opinion to test manufacturer declarations and claims and,
• Where products claims are not verified, the statement ‘according to manufacturer’, ‘manufacturer claim’ or similar is shown.
Ecospecifier © 2008
Navigation Search Options
The product/materials database on ecospecifier.org can be searched by:
product category
outcomes –
eco outcome (assessment criteria e.g. energy or water efficiency, healthy interiors etc)data quality - expert review (Basic Listings only) through to detailed verification (all other listings)Green Star™, BASIX & other tool criteria
keyword
Commencing your materials research…
Ecospecifier © 2008
2. Products by category
3. Data, outcomes & GreenRate credits
4. Keyword
5.Geographical
1.Site search
Use the ‘*’ Wildcard
Or any combination
Searches coded in blue yield products only
ecospecifier product listing types …
Ecospecifier © 2008
3. Outcomes &Rating Systems
1.Sit searchListing type Code
Basic Listing none
Basic Listing Plus (free-to-air) [BLP] *Enhanced Content Premium Listing
[EC]
*GreenRate Premium Listing[ECG]
(Enhanced Content + a green rating scheme Pre-assessment, i.e.Green Star™ )
*PREMIUM LISTINGS INCLUDE A MANUFACTURER’S LEAD ENQUIRY SERVICE
Product search: Basic Listings
Ecospecifier © 2008
3. Outcomes &Rating Systems
1.Sit search
150- 200 word Product Overview and Assessment
Assessment Criteria met
Live link to Supplier Information
Product search
Ecospecifier © 2007
3. Outcomes &Rating Systems
1.Sit searchSelect Outcome if desired- Manual de-selection is needed
Select Category and Sub category
Premium Content Listings
Ecospecifier © 2008
3. Outcomes &Rating Systems
1.Sit search Product Name: Overview:
30- 50 words Product Description:
Up to 150 Words Technical
Specifications: Options: Colours: Warranty: Expected Life: Constituents: Purchase Options:
Life Cycle Analysis: Integrated Design
Issues Human Health Environmental Quality Resource Depletion
Repairability: Reusability: Design For
Dematerialisation: Design For Dissassesmbly: Recyclability: Maintenance: Product Takeback Scheme
Offerred?: Issues of Concern/ Red Lights? Assessment Comparison: Indicative cost: Projects: Australian
Manufacture/Fabrication: State Availability: NatSpec and SpecPack
Categories Australian and other
Standards: Assessment Criteria Satisfied: Plus multiple images and
downloads
Overview & Description
are the equivalent of
Basic Plus Content that
appears in the public view
Analysis is as long and
detailed as a full description of the product
requires
www.ecospecifer.org© ecospecifier May 2006 slide 17
:
So, returning to the product search a subscriber search returns 47 products – a non-subscriber search returns 7.
Product name and hot-link to product data-sheet
Supplier and state availability links
Click on the DOTS to link to the specific assessment criteria that product meets
search result page
Grey indicates a detailed Enhanced Content [EC] or GreenRate [ECG] Premium listing
Click on the Summary Assessment Criteria to find out more
Use right-click on mouse & select ‘Open in New Window’ to maintain search page
results
Don’t use summary DOTS as only review-use full product listings also
Issues of concern- red lights
Ecospecifier © 2008
Biodiversity, Carcinogens, Persistent Organic Pollutants, R-Phrase & S-Phrase Hazardous Chemical categorisation and concentration triggers including Red Light Exclusion
Ecospecifier © 2008
Comment or Exclusion
The ecospecifier Red Lights or Issues of Concern policy is based on the Precautionary Principle, hence:
• issues explicit in policy are not the only basis on which Issues of Concern or Red Light Comments are issued and
• worst-case assessments are used where different information sources are in conflict.
Policy is ‘live’ i.e., may change as new information becomes available about impacts and safe concentrations of chemicals and processes over time.
Issues of Concern & Red Lights
Ecospecifier © 2008
If a product contains any of the following impacts, it will, subject to the Risk Analysis assessment, require either an automatic Issue of Concern, a Red Light Comment or, as the strongest course of action, a Red Light Exclusion from being listed on ecospecifier:
•timber material from a non-FSC certified source requires an Issue of Concern. Note that both FSC Forest Management (FM) and Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification are required;
•significant non-FSC certified rainforest or high conservation value remnant ecosystem timber content, this warrants a Red Light comment or possibly even a Red Light Exclusion subject to proof of legal sources;
•significant environmentally damaging processes or emissions, or long term Persistent, Bioaccumulating Toxics (PBT) or Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reprotoxic (CMR) impacts, (subject to assessment stages -3 , Red Light comment or Red Light Exclusion
Issues of Concern - Red Lights
Ecospecifier © 2008
Issues of Concern - Red Lights• Ionizing Radiation. Any product containing or
responsible for ionizing radiation levels above background or healthy levels is also a Category 0 Red Light Exclusion;
• Carcinogens. Any chemicals classified by IARC• Group 1 (Carcinogenic to humans)
Level 1• Group 2A (Probably carcinogenic to humans)
Level 1• Group 2B(Possibly carcinogenic to humans)
Level 1• Group 3 Level 2• Group 4 Level 3
• RoHS. hazardous substances under the European RoHS prohibited substances in electronic goods regulations
Level 1
Ecospecifier © 2008
Issues of Concern - Red Lights
R and S Phrases- Level 1, 2 and 3 Chemicals.
Determined by the chemical’s CAS number for all constituents down to less than 1% from manufacturer MSDS and product formulation.
A chemical is attributed various R and S Phrases (as taken from the recognized EU Directive 2001/59/EC).
ecospecifier has broken these R and S Phrases down into Level 0, 1, 2 and 3 chemicals, according to their potentially adverse health and environmental effects in a peer reviewed process and based on % concentrations and a risk assessment – attributes different level of Concern or Red Light comment or excludes entirely.
Ecospecifier © 2008
Issues of Concern - Red Lights
Step oneTable 1 - Preliminary categorization of hazardous substances based on R Phrases
Ecospecifier category
Hazardous substance R Phrase levels (and proportion required to trigger preliminary categorization)
Level 0 Immediate exclusion
Level 1 High risk
Level 2 Medium - Low
risk
Level 3 Low to no risk or safety concern
Issue of Concern
- 0.1% 1%No action required.
Red Light Comment
- 5% 10%No action required.
Red Light Exclusion
Always10%
50%No action required.
Ecospecifier © 2008
Issues of Concern - Red Lights
Step twoTable 2 – Hazardous substance categorisation review and action required
Preliminaryecospecifier
category
Likelihood of risk being realized and action to be taken
Imminent Likely Unlikely
Issue of ConcernFull ‘Issue of Concern’ required.
State ‘Issue of Concern’ and include details of how concern can be minimised
Note hazardous substance in relevant area of assessment (e.g. Human Health - NOT in Issues of Concern) and give substantive reasons on the unlikeliness of risk.
Red Light Comment
Full ‘Red Light Comment’ required.
State ‘Red Light Comment’ and include details of how concern can be minimised.
Note ‘Issue of Concern’ Comment’ and state unlikeliness of concern occurring giving substantive reasons.
Red Light Exclusion
‘Red Light Exclusion’ required.
‘Red Light Exclusion’ required.
State ‘Red Light Comment’ and include unlikeliness of concern occurring giving substantive reasons.
Ecospecifier © 2008
Issues of Concern - Red Lights
Step 3Table 3 - Action required for hazardous substance based on S Phrases
Hazardous substance S Phrase level
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Strongly state safety concern in relevant heading on product listing and how it can be minimised.
Mention safety concern in relevant heading on product listing and how it can be minimised.
No action required.
Ecospecifier © 2008
Search Options: ecospecifier GreenRate
ecospecifier GreenRate – Green Building Scheme Product Pre-Assessment
Interface ‘enhanced content’ listings with ecospecifier’s ‘Green Star™ *’ and other scheme search options (ECG)• New and improved time saving function• Provides quick access to green scheme
assessed products: Green Star office interiors v.1 or Green Star office design v.2 & v.3 rating
tools
* Note: Green Star™ is a mark of the Green Building Council of Australia
Ecospecifier © 2008
Search Options: Green Star™
reports all of the green star product categories that ‘component-products' (like paints, fabrics, wood panels etc.) meets
makes it easier for you to quickly see what the green star compatibility attributes of your products are
products like chairs, storage units & workstations can be assessed to calculate the number of ‘credit points’ available to a project if specified.
Only attaches product listings to searches when Green Star Technical Manual evidence has been sighted.
Green Star™ assessment and ratings
* Note: Green Star™ is a mark of the Green Building Council of Australia
Ecospecifier © 2008
Search Options: Green Star™
Green Star™ tool: development
Prod
Products assessed under each new tool when adopted formally:
2008Retail (Shopping Centre Design)
Education (including laboratories & teaching facilities)
Health
2009Mixed Used Residential
* Note: Green Star™ is a mark of the Green Building Council of Australia
Ecospecifier © 2008
ecospecifier: Setting Priorities
Eco-priority guides advise what ecospecifier considers to be the health
and environmental priorities for common product
categories and products.
Ecospecifier © 2008
ecospecifier Technical Guides
1. Sustainable Timber : All aspects of use, maintenance, preservation - including 3rd party certification schemes comparing FSC to AFS, PEFC etc
2. Plants & Indoor Air Quality: Species and VOC removal results from indoor plants
3. Photovoltaic Systems: Technology & Maintenance- system types, design, embodied energy payback and loading calculator spreadsheet
4. Thermal Mass & Building Comfort- the role of mass in maintaining comfort in buildings
5. Lighting Ballasts: the next generation super efficient magnetic ballasts and their comparison to current electronic ballast- in peer review
6. Mercury and Fluorescent lighting: in preparation
Search: Supplier Enquiry
Ecospecifier © 2008
Enquiry button at top of
product listings forwards email
enquiries directly to
manufacturer On many
listings and all Premium Listings
All email and web hotlinks are live
Search: Supplier Listing
If you find a product you think is eco or healthy that is not on the database, you can nominate it for an assessment with this form
ecospecifier: nominate a product
It’s now up to you …
Ecospecifier © 2008
Any problems about accessing the
information that you require, please let us
know about it
Log in now to ecospecifier.org
Ecospecifier © 2008
For quick access to unique, context sensitive knowledge
about innovative green products for you to deliver green buildings
For materials research you can trust
ecospecifier.org makes specifying green products easy, economic and
achievable and delivers increased sales via access to key major project decision makers (with less sales staff and calls).
Put your name down to receive our FREE fortnightly newsletter
and stay updated
about new products that our Research Hub have assessed
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Ecospecifier © 2008
ecospecfier’s Knowledge Base
We are an active research organisation and offer Subscribers discounts on all of
our publications:ranging from Eco Priority Guides,
Technical papers, PowerPoint presentations to specialist books authored by our Technical Team
Find out about our publications
Good luck with your sustainable project
Ecospecifier © 2008
We look forward to assisting you to deliver increased Green Development and Product
outcomes at:
www.ecospecifier.orgFor further information and enquiries,
please email: [email protected]