Why choose sustainable materials?

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Is the product made from recycled materials or derived from renewable resources?

Ask your suppliers to provide you with the ingredients that make up the material. Post consumer recycled content or rapidly renewable materials like hemp, sisal, jute, banana, bamboo or bio-based polymers are typical examples.

What is the original source material that the product is made from?

Find out if the material is made from petroleum, cement, or aluminium as these are not environmentally friendly and can have large environmental footprints.

Is the material certified for its production?

Choose products that are certified or rated by a third party auditor or production. Currently for example Ecospecifier Global GreenTag (Rating and Certification system) or Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) or ISO 14000. It is a good idea to look at what each of these certifications mean. You can also look to the commercial sector for guidance such as the Green Building Council of Australia.

Can the product be reused at the end of its life?

Some materials can be reused when the home is demolished. Examples include bricks, aluminium, timber, electrical cables, roof tiles and steel. Remember to consider both how the products are fixed e.g. glueing things together means they usually can't be recycled (screwing is better) and how much re-processing might be required to be able to re-use the product.

Does the product contain toxins?

Many materials used in traditional building contain harmful toxins which creates an unhealthy environment to work and live in. As an example look at paints. Standard paints contain high levels of VOC or volatile organic compounds. When you walk into a room that has been freshly painted and you can smell something potent that is the VOCs being released into the air. In fact VOCs are contained in everything but some VOCs are not harmful such as the smell of a flower.