Introduction to ecospecifier.org Ecospecifier © 2008

Introduction to ecospecifier.org

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


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?


Industry sectors that use ecospecifier.org


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


MIRVACCOX Group

http://www.cundall.com/Default.asp?Page=1

Some of our listed manufacturers

Over 500 manufacturers &suppliers & listings for over 3,500 eco and health preferred building products available in Australasia


AAC

ecospecifier products

80+ product categories 480+sub-categories


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


How does ecospecifier assess?


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.


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…


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 …


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



1.Sit search

150- 200 word Product Overview and Assessment

Assessment Criteria met

Live link to Supplier Information

Product search



1.Sit searchSelect Outcome if desired- Manual de-selection is needed

Select Category and Sub category

Premium Content Listings



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


Biodiversity, Carcinogens, Persistent Organic Pollutants, R-Phrase & S-Phrase Hazardous Chemical categorisation and concentration triggers including Red Light Exclusion


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


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


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



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.



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.



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.



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.


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

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/GreenStarOfficeBuilt.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/GS_OI_pilot_tool_launch_version.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/tools/GreenStar_OfficeExisting.xls


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


http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/GreenStarOfficeBuilt.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/GS_OI_pilot_tool_launch_version.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/tools/GreenStar_OfficeExisting.xls


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


http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/tools/GreenStar_ShoppingCentreDesign.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/docs/greenstar/tools/GreenStar_Education_Pilot.xls

http://www.gbcaus.org/greenstar/docs/tools/GreenStar_Healthcare_As_Built.xls


ecospecifier: Setting Priorities

Eco-priority guides advise what ecospecifier considers to be the health

and environmental priorities for common product

categories and products.


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


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 …


Any problems about accessing the

information that you require, please let us

know about it

[email protected]

Log in now to ecospecifier.org


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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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


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]

Documents

Introduction to ecospecifier.org Ecospecifier © 2008