The Pharos Project

From Compost to Composites: Innovating with Cow Pies

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Earlier this month I was introduced to a new product for Pharos, a line of wall boards and panels made from a blend of cellulose sources – recycled cardboard, old newsprint, and something near and dear to my Vermont heart: bovine processed fibers. Yes, BPFs as they're known, are the fibers left over from the anaerobic digestion tanks used to harvest methane from cow manure. Otherwise a waste product, these and other animal-processed fibers contain lignin and proteins that make them well suited for a variety of bio-based applications. And, with 2 trillion pounds of manure generated on American farms each year, being creative about what to do with it is a good thing.

Noble Environmental Technologies Corporation has launched its ECOR® line of bio-based panels made from blending these various fibers with water into a "stew" which gets poured out onto a mold before the water is suctioned, pressed, and steamed out, leaving just the fibers behind. Once dry, the board is lightweight and made strong by the complex matrix of fibers created in the blending process. ECOR® comes in flat sheets, a corrugated wave pattern, or a honeycomb shape achieved by slicing strips of the wave boards and attaching them with a water-based adhesive in a particular pattern. The panels can be painted, veneered, and laminated to construct furniture and cabinetry, or molded into almost limitless shapes. A look through their product catalog had me daydreaming about decorating a home in my future with curvy, sleek, modernly styled furniture and architectural build outs, all made with BPFs. Because of their versatility, we’ve added ECOR® to our MDF/Particle Board category in the Building Products Library.

ECOR® products scored well in Pharos (6-8 out of 10 in VOC and toxicity categories depending on the amount of adhesive used), due to their high percentage of renewable content and Noble’s ability to fully disclose all of the product's ingredients. The basic boards can be used as-is, or can be treated with additives, coatings, or other processes to suit a particular function or impart a specific quality. These extras have their own environmental and human health considerations, so the company is experimenting with different options to maintain as much of their relatively benign product profile as possible.

In addition to winning full points in my "best makeover" category, products made from BPFs have some other useful features:

They can be blended with other cellulose sources, including things like wood chips, to achieve the strength and performance profile needed for a given application.
Despite their humble beginnings, BPFs as part of a cellulose matrix are sanitary. Researchers say heat and pressure from the manufacturing process kill any microbes that might be present, and as long as the board stays dry, it is no longer hospitable to microorganisms.
Manure is a readily available waste product. If a larger market for BPFs existed, sale of manure could someday represent a supplemental revenue stream for famers.

For more information about BPFs, watch the short video Noble Environmental Technologies produced about the materials and processes used to manufacture ECORE®, or read this recent article in Biomass Magazine.

A Chat with Pharos' Newest Team Member: Melissa Coffin

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Greetings from Pharos headquarters in Washington, DC! We wanted to take the opportunity to introduce to our blog readers the newest member of the Pharos team, Melissa Coffin, who joins us in our Vermont office. I thought it might be nice for Pharos users to hear a little from her, as she is one of the main engines behind the Pharos Building Product Library. In the spirit of our virtual work environment here at Pharos, I interviewed Melissa via Skype. And in the spirit of transparency, which is what we're all about here, I've left in some of the typos and other quirks that come with Skype conversations.

[7/13/11 3:17:37 PM] susan.sabella: So, Melissa, you've been with the Pharos team for about two months now. What's your role on the project?

[7/13/11 3:19:48 PM] Melissa Coffin: My job title is Data Systems Project Leader, and my role is to shepherd products through the Pharos system, and assist manufacturers as necessary with questions they have about the process, the information being requested, and the addition of new products over time.

[7/13/11 3:20:39 PM] Melissa Coffin: In-house I'm seen as a "data wrangler."

[7/13/11 3:20:58 PM] susan.sabella: Nice -- a much better title than Data Systems Project Leader.

[7/13/11 3:22:32 PM] susan.sabella: It sounds like you're engaging with manufacturers quite a bit. And, I know you have considerable experience working with industry at your last position with the University of MA-Lowell -- how are you finding building product manufacturers to be? Anything surprising?

[7/13/11 3:27:28 PM] Melissa Coffin: It's really interesting. I think companies are facing the same challenges with transparency no matter what sector they're in. So far the manufacturers I've worked with have been great - strapped for time but committed to disclosing as much of their product ingredients as they can without jeopardizing their competitive edge.

[7/13/11 3:28:05 PM] Melissa Coffin: No real surprises yet, but I'm just getting started!

[7/13/11 3:30:06 PM] susan.sabella: What were you working on at Lowell?

[7/13/11 3:35:53 PM] Melissa Coffin: I was the primary coordinator for a group of manufacturers, formulators, and retailers working to green their supply chains through the use of green chemistry. The group is the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council, but we nic-named it the GC3 for short. When I left Lowell it was a group of about 45 leading edge firms who were sort of peer-teaching each other some common lessons. An approach that was successful for the apparel industry, for example, might also be exciting for the electronics sector, but the two may not have been in the same room before. It was great to watch, and I learned a lot about finding creative ways to problem-solve.

[7/13/11 3:38:04 PM] susan.sabella: Did each firm have a different focus in terms of greening its supply chain -- or did firm team up and work together on a particular issue or problem? Were there any real successes?

[7/13/11 3:39:44 PM] susan.sabella: I'll just note as well that 45 is a big number. It sounds like the GC3 had some juice.

[7/13/11 3:43:45 PM] Melissa Coffin: I think each company had its own twist on the supply chain work based on internal goals or corporate culture, or some other uniquity, but for the most part, everyone was struggling with the same problem: how can I ensure to my customer that my products are safe and environmentally preferable when I don't know what goes into my products beyond my immediate suppliers? Supply chains are global and very complex, and by the time you have a finished product, there's this web of ingredients and components and packaging, and it's a nightmare to understand all of these moving parts - but customers want you to understand them, and that's the challenge.

[7/13/11 3:44:39 PM] Melissa Coffin: The GC3 wrote a guidance document to help manufacturers work with their suppliers to start collecting all of this information as a first step.

[7/13/11 3:46:31 PM] susan.sabella: I think we see the same thing with the Pharos Project: customers/Pharos users want to know what are in the building materials they are purchasing for their own projects or specifying for their clients. This market's desire for transparency seems to really have taken hold.

[7/13/11 3:46:48 PM] Melissa Coffin: Absolutely

[7/13/11 3:46:55 PM] susan.sabella: Wow -- what's with my syntax today? And my typing. Sorry.

[7/13/11 3:51:52 PM] Melissa Coffin: I think Pharos does a great job of providing some of that supply chain/web information to its users. The CML allows you to look up an ingredient and find out what it's feedstocks are - and are any of those chemicals something I should be paying attention to?. That's really invaluable, I think, to be able to track back and find out that the reason a finished product might have a low score in a particular attribute is because of one ingredient that's sourced from a problematic place, or is manufactured in a way that creates a toxic waste, or uses something as a catalyst that's been banned in Europe. Pharos' research staff is really top notch and the CML is a reflection of a systems view of production. I learn something new with every product I see, for sure.

[7/13/11 3:55:02 PM]
susan.sabella: I agree: the CML (Pharos Chemical and Material Library) is an amazing tool with many applications. It can be used in any sector, really. If you care about chemicals, and the environmental and health impacts of chemcials, the CML is an incredible resource.

[7/13/11 3:55:14 PM]
susan.sabella: Of course, it helps to be a bit of a geek.

[7/13/11 3:55:30 PM]
Melissa Coffin: Yeah, and I've got that base covered.

[7/13/11 3:55:49 PM]
susan.sabella: You do indeed!

[7/13/11 3:56:06 PM]
susan.sabella: As you know, you're in good company here -- lots 'o geeks!

[7/13/11 3:56:20 PM]
Melissa Coffin: Yes, I feel quite at home here.

[7/13/11 3:57:22 PM]
susan.sabella: Which is great -- because you are a welcome addition to the Pharos team. Is there anything else you want to share before we draw this to a close?

[7/13/11 3:58:34 PM]
Melissa Coffin: Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself.

[7/13/11 3:59:00 PM]
susan.sabella: Yeah -- this has been fun.

[7/13/11 3:59:08 PM]
Melissa Coffin: I'm looking forward to many more building product category openings!

[7/13/11 3:59:22 PM]
susan.sabella: Woo-hoo!

[7/13/11 3:59:25 PM]
susan.sabella: Talk to you later.

[7/13/11 3:59:42 PM]
Melissa Coffin: Bey

[7/13/11 3:59:47 PM]
Melissa Coffin: Bye

[7/13/11 3:59:56 PM]
susan.sabella: Nice recovery!

[7/13/11 4:00:14 PM]
susan.sabella: DONE

The No-Fly-Ash Zone: Alternative Recycled Materials in Carpet Backing

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

A few weeks ago on the Signal blog, we examined some of the tradeoffs in choosing a carpet for its recycled content, particularly with regard to carpet backings made with coal fly ash, a coal combustion waste product which has been found to contain mercury and other hazardous heavy metals. Pharos allows subscribers to evaluate not only complete carpet styles but also individual carpet components (fibers and backings), because we find a lot of innovation and differentiation at the component level. Our research on carpet products and their components for the Pharos Building Product Library has led us to some interesting alternatives, including carpet backings that achieve high scores for recycled content without fly ash.

Tandus Flooring, for example, uses post-consumer recycled polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in ethos™ backings used in Powerbond resilient sheet flooring and modular carpet styles.

When we asked Tandus why they chose to develop this alternative, they attributed the choice largely to demand from a major customer. Ross Leonard, Director of Marketing for Tandus Flooring, explained, "About ten years ago, Tandus Flooring was asked by Kaiser Permanente to collaborate with them in the development of a new type of floorcovering for their facilities. Among the key criteria for this new floorcovering was that it had to made without chlorinated polymers, had to contain high levels of post-consumer recycled content that could be third-party certified, be fully recyclable using currently existing technology and processes and meet Kaiser Permanente's demanding performance requirements."

The decision to use PVB in particular was a result of over two years of exploration and evaluation by Tandus' Research and Development Division. "At the time, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) was a widely used plastic (primarily as the clear film laminated between glass in automotive windshields and other types of safety glass) but not as a floorcovering," Leonard explained. "Better still, there appeared to be a healthy supply of post-consumer PVB since there are millions of cracked and chipped windshields that are replaced every year. While the recyclers are equipped to recycle the glass components of windshields, there was no commercial use for the PVB flake that resulted as a byproduct until Tandus Flooring developed its innovative process."

In Pharos, Tandus' Powerbond ethos cushion backing earns a relatively high score of 6 in renewable materials for its use of 100% post-consumer PVB, and its ethos backing for modular tile earns a score of 3 for its mixed use of post-consumer and pre-consumer PVB. Both of these products earn scores of 5 in user toxicity and in manufacturing and community toxics, the highest of any carpet backing evaluated in Pharos to date.

Pharos users can now view other cutting-edge, high-recycled-content carpet backing alternatives. Manufacturers submitted data for each of these backings. After rigorous data quality review processes, we have added these products to our product library in recent weeks:

ECORE International, in partnership with Nood carpets, has developed the itstru Technology backing (a.k.a. TRU) made almost entirely (at least 97%) from post-consumer recycled styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). This content earns it the maximum score of 10 for renewable/recycled materials. However, ECORE has not yet identified the balance of this product’s ingredients. According to ECORE International, the formula for this new-to-the-market backing is proprietary; therefore, Pharos is unable to fully evaluate this product’s toxicity. We do know that integral components of SBR are styrene, which was recently listed by the National Toxicology Program as a suspected carcinogen, and 1,3-butadiene, which EPA, IARC and other agencies have long listed as carcinogenic. ECORE is also seeking Green Label Plus for Nood carpet styles that use this backing.
InterfaceFLOR's GlasBac RE backing earns a score of 7 in renewable materials. Over 73% of the backing is made from post-consumer vinyl carpet tile crumb. It also incorporates some post-industrial carpet fiber. However, the presence of diisononyl phthalate – an EPA-listed Chemical of Concern – in the vinyl crumb detracts from the backing’s manufacturing and user toxicity evaluations (4 and 3, respectively).
Shaw Industries, Inc. has developed a custom carpet backing, EcoWorx PX, an alternative to its regular EcoWorx. Instead of post-industrial fly ash, Ecoworx PX contains post-consumer glass and/or residues derived from Shaw's carpet recycling processes. These residues are primarily calcium carbonate. This content earns the backing a Pharos evaluation of 4 in renewable materials. The manufacturing toxicity score for this product, however, fares no better than the standard EcoWorx (2), due to the use of Triclosan. The State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality lists Triclosan, a widely used antimicrobial, as a Tier 1 Priority Persistent Pollutant.

Tandus, Shaw, and Interface fully disclosed the material content of these innovative backings. Their data provides Pharos users with all the information they need to evaluate and compare these products' environmental attributes.

Subscribers to Pharos can view the full profiles of these carpet backings and many more in the Building Product Library. Pharos' multi-attribute scoring allows users to weigh the costs and benefits of these products' environmental and health impacts for their project needs. We choose not to provide an overall score or ranking for these products because we know that our subscribers may prioritize these values in different ways. One person's recycled gold may be another's poison.

We are continuing to engage with many carpet manufacturers. The Pharos platform has generated consumer / manufacturer discussions which will improve the recycled content and reduce the health impacts of carpet backings.

The Nine Types of Greenwash

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

Greenwash, the practice of deceptively or falsely portraying products as environmentally friendly, is pervasive in the building materials market. Sometimes it slaps you in the face, but other times, it takes a more discerning eye to find it. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an excellent webinar presented by BuildingGreen's Jennifer Atlee on Green Building Product Certifications. Part of this presentation, which appears in BuildingGreen's detailed certifications report, presents an expert breakdown of the "Nine Types of Greenwash." Here’s a hint: it’s not always in the label.

"The Nine Types of Greenwash," coauthored by Atlee and Tristan Roberts, highlights not only the clearer examples of vague or unsubstantiated labeling and green associations, but also some more nuanced distinctions. For example, it lists "Forgetting the Life Cycle aka The Red Herring" as the practice of touting one environmental benefit while ignoring other harmful impacts. We see this effect often in products that may, for example, have high recycled content but release toxic chemicals in their manufacturer or use. Greenwash can also be found beyond the level of the product itself, manifesting in the policies and standards that a company chooses to fight or support. For example, a company may publicly endorse environmental measures while privately lobbying to resist or weaken them – this type of greenwash is nicknamed "The Reluctant Enthusiast."

The full list and description of the "Nine Types of Greenwash" is now available on BuildingGreen.com, as is a recording of the full certifications webinar.

A big part of our work here at the Pharos Project is promoting transparency, and we work to provide a complete picture of products’ environmental and health impacts so as to cut through the greenwash. Unspecific or unproven claims are not rewarded in Pharos scores for a product, and progress in one impact area, while admirable, does not make up for poor performance in another. This helps our subscribers to more carefully weigh the true impacts of products, and to pick out the true market leaders from the sea of green-marketed products.

Reflections of an Intern

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

As another beautiful summer rolls around, it is, once again, the time for summer interns around the nation to populate corporate offices! I, Victoria Adams, am one of these interns; I am an architecture student and summer intern at HKS, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. I attend Texas A&M University where in the fall I will continue my second year on the path to obtaining a bachelors degree in Environmental Design. Part of my daily work at HKS includes contributing to the data entry for the Pharos Project, therefore acting as an active member of the Pharos intern team. A couple of HBN Pharos staff members have requested that I share some of my discoveries, points of view, thoughts, etc. related to the Pharos Project periodically throughout the summer; and so it begins!

Data entry for the Pharos Project was a seemingly monumental task at first glance. Material Safety Data Sheets, 10 part Specification Sheets, manufacturing facilities; so much information was to be comprehended and documented. Once I became acquainted with the process, I renounced my insecurities and realized all that is required is a careful sifting of information. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and other product data are often easily accessible on the internet, making this sifting fairly simple. With the recent movement in society to render manufacturing processes and product content transparent, acquiring the product documentation is not the issue. The content of the documentation or lack of content poses the challenge in this search.

A recurring problem is the absence of the material makeup of products in their MSDS. The MSDS is a continuously referenced document in information entry because of the specific chemical information that is supposed to be included. Many times the part of the Material Safety Data Sheet reserved for the material listing is nothing but a blank square inside a barren chart. The EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) exemptions allow for these manufacturers’ elusive material listings. There is a section of the product information on the Pharos site that is dedicated exclusively to the material composition of the product meant for the transferring of this information. The product’s MSDS often leaves this initial entry very sparse. This chemical and material data is used to identify health hazards, purpose and use of product, etc. Therefore, having this information is imperative to aid the informed consumer’s opinion of the product. This is only a little taste of one road bump on the highway to publicizing product information. Though the Pharos Project is generating swift progress towards driving the building product market to become transparent, there is still progress to be made because of setbacks such as these.

I feel that in the short month that I have been working on Pharos for HBN, I have seen much growth and progress within Pharos. Despite the setbacks, large or small, the HBN Pharos staff forges ahead and assists the less experienced (interns) in their trials as well; utilizing open communication and a positive attitude. I am very excited to continue to contribute to the Pharos Project and anxious to witness the growth that will come this summer.

US Agency Calls Out Formaldehyde & Styrene for Cancer

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

A two decade lobbying effort by industry has finally ended unsuccessfully with the US Department of Health & Human Service labeling formaldehyde as a known carcinogen. The congressionally mandated 12th Report on Carcinogens adds to assessments by a range of agencies from the state of California to EPA and the World Health Organization confirming the cancer-causing nature of this widely used chemical. Formaldehyde-based compounds are widely used in building materials – most often as the glue that binds plywood, particle board, laminates, insulation and other products, but also as additives in drywall and treatments for fabrics. We’ve reported previously on efforts to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood, the concerns of formaldehyde based binders in insulation and the progress being made to put alternative insulations on the market. Pharos helps you avoid formaldehyde by explicitly flagging its presence in products and allowing filtering of any search results to screen out all products using formaldehyde-based compounds.

While the formaldehyde announcement got the most attention, the styrene listing is arguably at least as important. Termed "reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen" in the report, this is the strongest authoritative assessment of the cancer potential of styrene to be published to date. Styrene already raised concerns for asthma, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and other health issues, but in Pharos scoring this cancer listing moves styrene from an orange (high concern) to a red (very high concern) flag and may affect toxicity scoring on a range of styrene containing products. Styrene is a building block of EPS and XPS foam insulations which were already under attack for a range of other human and environmental health reasons. Styrene is also used in high performance coatings and may remain as a residual contaminant in the contents of a wide range of Pharos-listed floorings, carpet backings and adhesives that are made of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Click to see Pharos listings of products containing SBR. Remember that you can find product containing any chemical of concern by looking up its record in the Chemical and Material Library and clicking the red "Show products that contain this material" button.

The only easing of pressure on industry from this report came from the slight downgrading of concern for glass wool fibers in insulation, noting that they are less durable and bio-persistent than special purpose fibers and so less likely to cause cancer. Beware of the of glass wool fibers use in high-efficiency air filters and acoustical insulation, however, as those fibers are more likely to cause problems.

Video: Choosing Commercial Carpet With Pharos

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

Our partners at BuildingGreen made a great video demonstrating how to use Pharos to choose a commercial carpet. This 5-minute demo includes how to use our carpet assembler, how to drill down into the product data in a product profile, and how to use filters to narrow a product search.

Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TugQsIdx7FQ

Pharos: Unbinding the Secret World of Flooring Adhesives

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

Adhesives and sealants grip much of the building material marketplace. Some binders hold cellulose particles in place in substrates; others forge gypsum slurries into wallboard and ceiling tile, fuse carpet backings, and encapsulate wood flooring.

The degree of scrutiny that adhesives and sealants receive can depend upon physical circumstances. When adhesives are integral to a product - like formaldehyde-based resins in particleboard or casework - these chemicals are examined in the context of the product as a whole. But when the adhesive is separate from a building material until it is installed, even when manufacturers require its use, specifiers have faced an analysis gap.

The Pharos system makes its first attempt at linking evaluations of adhesives with the products that require them in today’s opening of the flooring adhesives category. Flooring adhesives are our tenth category of building product profiles.

Now Pharos users may, with one click, examine whether a carpet or resilient flooring they are considering requires an adhesive that raises alarm. In the Pharos Data Team Notes section of flooring product profiles, we have added links to our evaluations of adhesives that the flooring manufacturer requires or recommends.

Many adhesives contain chemicals of concern. Epoxy adhesive systems, for example, rely on the binder material, BADGE, which is formed from Bisphenol A, and epichlorohydrin. Bisphenol A is under great scrutiny because of its effects on the hormonal and reproductive system. And polyurethane adhesives may contain methylene diisocyanate in an "uncured" form, to which "people may be exposed," according to an April 2011 EPA press release. According to the EPA, isocyanate exposure is a leading cause of work-related asthma.

Adhesives are highly specialized concoctions. Chemical variants in water-based acrylic and latex adhesives can include elastomers, tackifiers, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, viscosity control agents, preservatives, and antioxidants. Sometimes, these aqueous dispersions contain surfactants like nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates, which the US EPA recently defined as compounds of concern. And some adhesives contain the propellant HFC-134a, a chemical with a very high global warming potential.

With such variations in chemistry, manufacturer transparency is vital. Fortunately, some manufacturers are already participating in Pharos and providing full material content disclosure. Industry leaders like HB Fuller, Tandus, Nydree, and Capri Cork have already submitted adhesive products for Pharos evaluation. We expect that many other companies also will find value in fully participating in Pharos, especially as our users request that they do so.

The industry has responded before to human health concerns. The majority of flooring adhesives once relied on organic solvent-based chemistry. After users and regulators became alarmed at high Volatile Organic Compound emissions, the industry largely replaced organic solvent chemistry with water-based dispersions and reactive chemistries. An association of US manufacturers is exploring these challenges. It will hold the Adhesive and Sealant Council Sustainability Summit next month in Chicago.

Further details about flooring adhesives and our Pharos evaluations can be found in our product category description. Our new Materials Research Collaborative (MRC) assisted the research used in this category opening. The MRC is a joint effort of the Healthy Building Network and BuildingGreen, which today published an overview of adhesive selection consideration in its June edition of Environmental Building News.

Pharos Building Product Library Adds Another Layer: Decorative Laminates

Tue, 10 May 2011 14:00:00 EST

We are pleased to announce the opening of our ninth category in the Pharos Building Product Library: decorative laminates.

While the term laminate can refer to any product with layers of material glued together (such as plywood), the laminate products currently covered in this section of Pharos are decorative laminates - specifically the "high pressure laminates" (HPLs) that are commonly used as water resistant, decorative surfacing for countertops, work surfaces, casework and paneling. These are typically comprised of cellulose fiber (often Kraft paper) impregnated with thermosetting formaldehyde-based resins, and bonded via heat and high pressure. Variations include the application of decorative paper, sometimes with fire-resistant or chemical-resistant additives.

Pharos evaluations of these products find wide variances in the amount of material content disclosure by manufacturers, indoor air quality certifications, recycled content, and sustainable forestry certifications.

An industry leader in disclosure, recycled content, and sustainable forestry certification is Wilsonart. Over a year ago, Pharos staff contacted leading manufacturers of laminates. Some have started to enter product data, but have yet to submit their products for review and evaluation. Wilsonart did not hesitate.

Anthony Woytek, Product Development Specialist for Wilsonart, recalls that the company was first approached by Pharos staff at the Greenbuild 2009 conference in Phoenix.

"Our director of sustainability (Rajesh Ramamurthy) and our corporate president (Bill DiGaetano) made the decision to move forward and participate. It's a good tool. As a company we're trying to provide more information to people to make more informed decisions when choosing their building products," said Mr. Woytek. "We're dedicated to sustainability and we made a conscious decision to be more transparent."

Last year, Wilsonart was the first major decorative laminate manufacturer to bring FSC-certified products to market. In recent weeks, Nevamar and Formica have responded in kind. Wilsonart is also leading the industry with high recycled content, and promises more is on the way. "We're working across the board on recycled content, so that would help our (Pharos) scores even more. We get a lot of inquiries on LEED projects, which are driving the market demand for high recycled and FSC-certified content."

Consumer demand, combined with leadership in the manufacturing sector, is driving sustainability and transparency in building materials industries. With support from Pharos users, we hope other decorative laminate manufacturers will join Wilsonart in providing full disclosure so consumers may fully evaluate their products in the context of sustainability.

The Pharos Building Product Library now evaluates over 650 products and components in nine product categories: decorative laminates, thermal insulation, standard paints, resilient flooring, wallboard, ceilings, high performance coatings, MDF/particleboard, and carpet.

Common Tradeoffs in Choosing a Carpet: Many Shades of Recycled

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST

Our carpet category is ever-evolving as we continue to engage manufacturers in submitting and reviewing data on their products. On the surface, many of the carpet styles you'll find in Pharos may look similar in their environmental and health impacts, but some key differences can be found in their components.

For carpet backings in particular, manufacturers use a range of materials to increase their recycled content, including coal fly ash, glass cullet, polyvinyl butyral, and vinyl. Of particular concern is the use of coal fly ash as a replacement for traditional limestone filler.

Over the past decade, LEED recycled material credits and government agencies have encouraged the incorporation of coal fly ash into carpet backings and other building materials. Coal-fired power plant owners and fly ash marketing corporations (namely Boral Materials) capitalized upon these endorsements by moving wastes into the built environment. A Boral website states that "Coal combustion products are endorsed by the U.S. EPA and the US Green Building Council for use in construction materials."

As coal-fired power plant air pollution control (APC) technology improves, more of these heavy metals are "scrubbed" from gas releases and concentrated in coal fly ash and other coal combustion wastes. The health effects of this material on the workers who process it – and on the indoor environment – are largely untested. Therefore, in Pharos, carpet backings containing generic coal fly ash will tend to score better in the Renewable/Recycled Materials category, but worse in their User Toxics and Manufacturer Toxics scores.

The toxicological composition of fly ash is changing due to the introduction of powdered activated carbon to capture of mercury from flue gas. Boral itself says in one presentation, "Deteriorating fly ash quality represents both a major challenge and a huge opportunity."[1]

"Changes in Air Pollution Control technologies will result in a greater amount of residue generated for each unit of electricity produced and an overall increase in the total content of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants in fly ash, FGD residues, and other APC residues," EPA researchers reported in a recent journal article.[2]

The EPA studied 34 fly ash samples and 20 samples of Flue Gas Desulfurization gypsum.[3] Their test results indicated that some fly ash samples exceeded Toxicity Characteristic values for arsenic, barium, chromium, and selenium. Fly ash test results also exceeded Maximum Concentration Levels or Drinking Water Equivalent Levels[4] for nine metals: antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, and thallium.

Coming soon, we'll take a closer look at some high recycled content carpet backings for which manufacturers have opted to use materials other than coal fly ash. These companies are participating in Pharos and are fully disclosing their carpet ingredients. For more information on carpets and carpet components, explore the Pharos Building Product Library, and see our carpet category description for more detailed analysis from our research team.

Footnotes:

[1] "USA Analyst Site Visit 2008," Boral, available at: www.boral.com/Images/common/pdfs/Part2_US_Business_Pres.pdf

[2] S. Thorneloe, D. Kosson, F. Sanchez, A. Garrabrants, and G. Helms, "Evaluating the Fate of Metals in Air Pollution Control Residues from Coal-Fired Power Plants," Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 7351-7356.

[3] This article focuses on carpet backings and the toxicological profile of fly ash that may be used in them, so the FGD gypsum results are not recited here. However, FGD gypsum is used in other indoor building materials – particularly wallboard and ceiling tiles. The results of the EPA sampling of FGD gypsum reinforces concerns about the composition of wallboard and ceiling tiles that are comprised of up to 95% FGD gypsum: the EPA study found that many samples exceeded TC values for selenium and MCL or DWEL for eight metals: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, and thallium.

[4] Toxicity Concentration levels are used in crafting hazardous waste determinations. DWEL is used for noncarcinogenic toxicity end points.

EPA Targets Polyurethane Chemistry in Spray Foams, Adhesives & Coatings

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST

Last week the US EPA put the building industry on notice that it is planning steps to protect the public from asthma and other respiratory problems from two of the fundamental building blocks of polyurethane.

Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (MDI) and Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI) join a growing list of EPA Chemicals of Concern that are widely used in building materials, including phthalates in vinyl flooring, bisphenol A in epoxies, HBCD and PBDE flame retardants in foam insulation, PFCs in carpet stain treatments and more (All are listed in the Pharos description of current EPA Chemicals of Concern). Action Plans on each of these describe serious health risks for the general public and outline possible voluntary and regulatory steps the EPA is considering to protect public health.

The EPA expressed particular concern for hazards from the growing use of MDI and TDI compounds in spray foams, adhesives and coatings. The polyurethane compounds made from MDI and TDI are considered relatively inert and benign. But mixing up and site-applying these products in the building instead of in a controlled factory setting can lead to major exposures to the raw uncured and hazardous diisocyanates for workers during installation and for building occupants for anywhere from days to months afterwards.

All of the spray polyurethane foam insulations in Pharos currently use these diisocyanates, adding to the dangers of sprayed polyurethanes that we’ve reported on earlier in this blog.

MDI & TDI are also found in products in the Pharos listings for polyurethane carpet backings, MDF and wheatboards and some recycled rubber floorings which aren’t as likely to have major quantities of uncured diisocyanates but cause serious toxic exposure problems for the factory workers who make these products. According to the EPA, isocyanate exposure is the leading cause of work-related asthma.

Watch for the EPA Chemicals of Concern red attribute flag in product profiles as you select products in Pharos or use the EPA Chemicals of Concern filter to avoid all products containing any of the targeted chemicals.

Recent Product Additions in Paints and Floorings Score High in Pharos

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

It has been a busy couple of months as we’ve been working on rolling out carpets and preparing for new product category openings, but we’ve also been adding to our existing product categories, and we have some exciting new additions.

In the interior paints category, the new ENSO™ line of products by Dunn Edwards Corporation achieves a high score of 9 for VOCs and a high score of 6 for User Toxics. These scores reflect that the products have zero VOC content (including exempted compounds), and that they meet the strictest available standards for VOC emissions. (Points are deducted from the User Toxics category because the company has not yet fully disclosed its material contents.)

In the resilient flooring category, the Atmosphere line of products by To Market achieves a high score of 7 for VOCs (reflecting FloorScore certification) and 7 for Renewable Energy (reflecting 100% of total manufacturing energy from renewable energy sources within 50 miles of the manufacturing facility). Some products in the line also achieve high marks for Renewable Materials. For example, Atmosphere 1 (Solid Black) Recycled Rubber Flooring gets a 9 for Renewable Materials because almost 90% of the product is 100% post-consumer recycled styrene butadiene rubber.

As with all products listed in Pharos, these ones have room for improvement, but we are heartened by the progress we are seeing in these categories as manufacturers strive to create products that are healthier for people and for the environment.

Google's Commitment to Transparency in Building Materials

Tue, 8 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

At a recent event hosted by Colliers International examining real estate trends in Silicon Valley, George Salah, Director of Real Estate and Workplace Services for Google, Inc., spoke about the company’s commitment to transparency and its use of the Pharos Project as a tool for selecting healthy materials.

DBusinessNews reports:

“Speaker George Salah spoke on the high standards that Google employs and its commitment to sustainability. ‘We care about healthy buildings and non-toxic materials. These days, I spend most of my time trying to get transparency in the marketplace so that we know what’s in the materials that we buy.’ Salah lauded the efforts of some agencies’ commitment to transparency while suggesting that others could do more. ‘We talk to a lot of people who are the experts in the field. One that is doing a fabulous job is the Pharos Project. Pharos provides a tool for making good decisions about the building materials we buy every day. Additionally, it provides critical health and environmental data about the manufacture, use, and end of life of building materials. It’s a tool that gives you a visual representation of materials, what’s in them, how they rank and how good or bad they are for your health based on science.’”

We greatly appreciate the participation of Google, Inc., and other firms who are demanding transparency in the building materials market. If you or your company would like to get involved, you can sign up with the Pharos Project here.

Pharos Rolls Out Carpets

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST

The Pharos Project is pleased to announce that a new product category – carpets – is now open for users to explore.

Last year, we asked Pharos users to help us develop the category. You wanted separate evaluations of fibers, and backings, and a way to evaluate a carpet assembly as a whole. From your feedback, we prioritized components and created a new selection tool.

The Pharos carpet library includes a wide variety of components that you can evaluate separately and within a complete assembly. These include commonly specified polyurethane, polyolefin, EVA, PVC, and bitumen backings, and fibers that include a range of recycled content. We also evaluate treatments, in particular anti-microbials and stain resistance systems.

Due to the complexity of carpet assemblies, the Pharos product evaluation search for carpets operates differently from other categories. At its primary search level, through the Building Product Library (BPL), Pharos users first select a manufacturer, then a style sold by the manufacturer. Users then select the face fiber and backing options for each style.

Pharos generates a product profile based upon the user’s selections. The profile evaluates the product as a whole. It also displays the components – fibers, backings, and treatments – from which the evaluation is created. Clicking on the individual components yields much more information. Users can also view the components individually through a subdirectory in the BPL.

Transparency

Our initial product listing includes dozens of carpet components and carpet styles sold by several of the largest carpet manufacturers. These evaluations rely upon publicly available information. Data sources include company websites, patents, and industry and government life cycle assessments.

With some carpet companies, we have found relative clarity in public documentation. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide much more data than generally exists, but, to date, have produced an incomplete picture. A couple of companies publish material safety data sheets and detailed on-line descriptions. Some are participating in Pharos, and are submitting their products to a system that values transparency. But, until 2011, the composition of key carpet components, like backings, has been largely untold.

Our Pharos users have described a glaring need for transparency in this industry. In our survey, commercial firms ranked product composition second only to aesthetics in procurement selection strategies. Many of our users have urged manufacturers to submit their product information to Pharos. Some, like Google, are making content disclosure a pre-requisite for inclusion in their building materials procurement.

In lieu of ingredient disclosure by manufacturers in public documentation, we have developed generic records to fill the data gaps. These generic records shed light on commonly-used ingredients in stainblockers and backings (unitary (SB Latex), polyurethane, and vinyl).

The sources for our extensive research behind the Pharos evaluations are found by clicking on any score in a product profile. This research reveals the many environmental challenges posed by the manufacturing of carpets and their components.

In the coming weeks and months, in Pharos Signal articles, we will review toxicological and content disclosure concerns about components commonly used in commercial carpet. And we will highlight some of the carpet industry’s positive effort in areas like renewable energy. Upcoming topics include:

• Stain and soil repellants. Almost all commercial carpet manufacturers apply these stain and soil resistance treatments. This has resulted in the dispersal of persistent bioaccumulative perfluorocarbons – which have been associated with developmental problems -- into the indoor air environment and waterways flowing from production sites.

• Anti-microbials. Many manufacturers apply these treatments widely. Others apply them only to styles sold to certain sectors, such as health care. And some companies choose not to apply them at all. We will review the efficacy and diverse chemistry of these treatments.

• Recycled content. Over the past decades, carpet manufacturers have boosted the recycled content of their products by adding a wide variety of fillers to backing systems. There are big differences between types of recycled content, ranging from glass cullet to coal fly ash, which is classified as post-industrial recycled content.

• Disclosure. Material safety data sheets are few and far between. There is a glaring lack of clarity in many product descriptions, whether they are treatments or backings. Some carpet manufacturers have begun producing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). While EPDs do provide a superior level of disclosure to the routine, data holes remain. We hope to fill these gaps through continuing dialogue with these manufacturers.

• Renewable energy. Some carpet manufacturers are using bio-diesel, landfill gas, solar panels, and other alternate energy sources. Some have made broad statements about their commitment to renewable energy, but do not provide enough specificity for us to properly evaluate their products. Manufacturer engagement with Pharos will help us complete this picture.

We hope that our users will find the results enlightening, and we welcome your feedback.