Event Description

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?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Identify the characteristics of sustainable product manufacturing: socially, environmentally and economically.
• Understand why conducting an LCA, EPDs and HPDs matters to product development and ultimately occupant health and safety, environmental wellbeing and the bottom line in business.
• Review the steps in completing an LCA, EPDs and HPDs, focusing on resources and metrics for measuring material impacts.
• Evaluate pros and cons of EPDs, one of the new key feature of the LEED v4 Material and Resources Credit
• Understand what is an EPD for the purpose of LEEDv4 MR Credit Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Environmental Product Declarations
• By Following Early Adopters, use resources to get your company on pace with the new LEED BD+C and ID+C v4 Building Product Disclosure + Optimization: Material Ingredients and Sourcing of Raw Materials

• GBCI Credit: 1 LEED BD+C, ID+C and Green Associate Specific CEU
• AIA Credit: 1 LU