Photo courtesy Rauno Traskelin/Artek

Breakout: The Materials Library 

Send Market Signals to Promote Low-Carbon Products

Share Your Product Criteria

If you have adopted internal product standards or are tracking certain criteria within your firm’s material choices, share them with manufacturers so that they can align their product development and sustainability efforts accordingly.

Promote Circularity

Talk to manufacturers about increasing their efforts around circularity: Have conversations with vendors on increasing recycled content. 

  • Work with brand representatives to understand the balance between durability and recyclability on their products. 
  • Ask how products can be refinished, resurfaced, or refurbished to extend their life. 
  • Ask for take-back programs and details on how materials are processed after the company takes them back.

Encourage a Shared Format for Reporting

Ask manufacturers to standardize how they provide EPDs and present GWP numbers as part of the sustainability information provided on their websites. 

Communicate Clearly to Internal and External Stakeholders 

Use resources that simply and clearly compare different products within each division to talk to both project teams and clients about low-carbon options. EC3 provides comparisons within nine materials categories: concrete, steel, wood, glass, aluminum, insulation, gypsum, carpet, and ceiling tiles. 

Encourage the Industry to Adopt a Central Database

Support the expansion of existing tools like mindful Materials and EC3, or the creation of a single authoritative database for interiors products. Do this by encouraging manufacturers to join existing databases, asking industry associations to support their adoption, and educating peers and project stakeholders.


If you have feedback on the Climate Toolkit for Interior Design, write to: [email protected]