The air in offices, stores and hotels can be two to five times more polluted, and in some cases 100 times more polluted, than air outdoors. Improvements to indoor environments can cut down on employee sick days and create a more amenable environment for customers or clients. Beyond immediate health issues, interior furnishings and finishes can also make significant impacts on companies’ environmental footprint in the areas of raw material use, waste management, carbon management and a variety of other issues across the supply chain.
Many of the environmental impacts associated with interiors are not regulated by the U.S. government, although some state laws do apply. Companies’ activities in this area are therefore motivated more by human resources concerns, the desire for competitive advantage or overall enhancements to the company’s sustainability, rather than by compliance.
The latest issue of EL Insights looks at green interiors. The issue provides projections for the global and US market for green building materials, research on LEED registered or certified commercial interior projects as well as yearly LEED for commercial interiors by level, issues that buyers of interiors products look for and that manufacturers seek to address, eco-labels and certifications related to interiors, and provides examples of companies incorporating green interiors.
The report includes interviews with InterfaceFLOR, H2 Ecodesign, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Organizations mentioned in this issue include: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Marriott, Office Depot, Exelon, Starbucks, Pearson, national Grid, Johnson Controls, Google, SKF USA, Mars Chocolate, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, InterfaceFLOR, H2 Ecodesign, EPA, OSHA, Pharos Project, USGBC, Forest Stewardship Council, UL, Air Quality Sciences, GreenGuard, Scientific Certification Systems, OEHHA, Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association, NSF International, Green Seal, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and American Tree Farm System.
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