There are three significant specification strategies that building product manufacturers should consider implementing for their company. Several weeks ago, I attended the Spec Shaman Summit in San Antonio, TX. Over forty building product manufacturers attended the event and the discussions were enlightening. Here’s what I learned…

Sustainability Champion

Building product manufacturers feel confused and distracted by the overwhelming amount of green building ratings systems, sustainability documentation, and project requirements that have flooded the marketplace. We have LEED v4, the Living Building Challenge, WELL, CHPS, SITES, Green Globes, EDGE, Parksmart, PEER, and probably hundreds of other local, regional, and municipal green building ratings systems globally.

How are building product manufacturers supposed to determine where to direct budgetary dollars and resources for any of these programs? What factors determine what ratings systems are the most important? If we look at the dollar amount of projects, the number of project certifications, and public acceptance, then we can determine LEED crushes the competition.

During our discussions, manufacturers divulged that LEED projects or projects built to LEED standards accounted for 1%-5% of their annual projects. Although LEED might account for a small percentage of their annual projects, the projects generated revenue, emphasized their products in notable buildings, and created opportunities for future LEED projects.

What we quickly determined amongst the 40 manufacturers is that nearly all of them lacked a sustainability champion, a LEED expert, or a team member who obtained a credential for a green building ratings system. In fact, amongst the 40 manufacturers, only 1 person had a LEED credential. Some companies had a LEED expert back at their corporate office, but many had no sustainability champion to assist with LEED projects.

The lack of a sustainability champion negatively impacted projects and opportunities according to several manufacturers. Many manufacturers mentioned that they struggle to submit the proper sustainability documentation and are sometimes confused by requests for various documents and testing.

Without a sustainability champion who has a LEED credential, manufacturers also struggled developing GBCI courses for LEED APs, developing content for their websites and brochures, and educating their product reps in the field. The 40 manufacturers determined that a sustainability champion would be a much-needed resource for 2019. The issue that came up was budgetary dollars to hire someone or train someone to obtain a credential and knowledge base.

In a previous blog, How No-Cost LEED Exam Prep Can Help Building Product Reps Succeed, we talked about manufacturers who get pummeled in the marketplace because they don’t understand LEED. Their websites and brochures are dead giveaways that they are behind the times. The websites display LEED v3 product documentation for a LEED rating system that no longer is used. The product literature displays outdated LEED credits and information. Examples include the 500-mile radius for locally manufactured products which is no longer valid and recycled content which has been integrated into another LEED credit.

Building product reps are only as good as their work ethic, talent, and training they possess combined with the education resources they are provided by their employer. Imagine trying to get your curtainwall system specified on a $150 million-dollar university project aiming for LEED certification with no 3-part guide specs or LEED documentation. Sending product reps not educated about LEED into prominent AEC firms to discuss LEED certification is like throwing a baby into a pit of wolves!

Luckily, there are several free resources available to product manufacturers to train their employees about LEED and to take the LEED exam. Free LEED Exam Prep can train your team about LEED. Even if your product reps don’t take the LEED v4 exam, they can still participate in training modules to learn about LEED credits, how products contribute to LEED certification, and possible synergies with various rating systems. The best part is that your company doesn’t have to drop a penny. All of the LEED Exam Prep resources are available at GreenCE for one product rep or 100 reps to participate free of charge.

Health Product Declaration

Another specification issue that presented itself during the summit were the various product declarations in the marketplace. Once again, building product manufacturers are overwhelmed by HPDs, EPDs, LCAs, Cradle to Cradle, Declare Labels, Just Labels, ANSI/BIFMA, and many others. There are dozens of other declarations many of which are eco-labels with no value for LEED or other ratings systems. They are greenwashing scams and poor attempts to make some products appear sustainable.

Manufacturers admitted that they had lost potential projects due to not having developed HPDs. An informal poll in the room indicated that about only 20% of the manufacturers had developed HPDs. HPDs are one of the easiest and most cost-effective way for product manufacturers to contribute LEED points. They are the low hanging fruit and much easier and cheaper to obtain than developing an EPD which awards the same amount of points in LEED v4.

The conversation also reflected the significant ROI of HPDs. Besides LEED v4, HPDs contribute to WELL, CHPs, mindful MATERIALS, and Sustainable Minds.