U.S. Green Building Council: Sustainable Product Manufacturing – Tools for Measuring Environmental Impacts

There are good reasons for a manufacturer to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Healthy Product Declarations (HPDs). Diminishing the embodied energy and ecological impacts of products can reduce manufacturing costs and improve the bottom line financially and environmentally and help achieve LEED certification. Explore the sustainability case for these transparency measures using the example of one product manufacturer; in a facilitated exchange, discuss their strengths and limitations. Answer the questions: Are these measures sufficiently robust to withstand scrutiny and be widely applied at this time? What benefits would your professional practice realize by adopting these material assessment measures?