If you picked up a box of cereal or canned goods in the grocery, you will readily find in the label valuable data such as ingredients and nutrition facts. For many shoppers this information helps them make the right decision especially as it pertains to their health.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with many of the building materials that go into our homes and offices. No standard labeling system exists that will help people decide what material to choose. This leads many companies to intentionally deceive consumers through greenwashing.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing is the term given to any act of misleading the consumers about the environmental merits of a company, its products and services. Another definition of greenwashing is to promote a product or service as being good for Mother Nature without any basis in fact.
Today, there is a growing clamor for transparency on the part of manufacturers to disclose ingredients of building products and associated health information.
With the wide demand for green and sustainable buildings, there is also the demand for a standard format for ingredient disclosure. The public is becoming more careful with toxic ingredients in building materials and manufacturers have to work on a gradual removal of these harmful materials.
Making informed decisions