Construction Specialties and Earth911.com have launched a web tool designed to help customers locate facilities that recycle commercial building products.
The C/S Recycling Locator, which debuted at the 2013 American Institute of Architects National Convention in Denver, includes a geo-locator feature that allows users to find the most convenient recycling center that will take materials used in C/S products. Virtually all C/S clients are companies and corporations, according to the commercial building products manufacturer.
Users can type in their zip code or activate the geo-location feature to find landfill alternatives for aluminum, stainless steel, polyester curtains, doors, mastic primer and mastic adhesive.
The tool is an extension of the company's "cradle to cradle" strategy, a biomimetic approach to the design of products and systems, which should help complete the lifecycle of used materials and prevent them from ending up in a landfill.
Late last year, Construction Specialties along with dozens of other companies agreed to use a new tool to track the safety of chemicals in products and supply chains. The Guide to Safer Chemicals is a how-to resource for implementing four BizNGO Principles for Safer Chemicals: know and disclose product chemistry, assess and avoid hazards, commit to continuous improvement and support public policies and industry standards.
Staples, Hewlett-Packard, Novation, Perkins+Will, Shaw Industries, Seventh Generation, Method, Premier and Kaiser Permanente also said they would use the tool.
C/S, under the direction of Howard Williams, vice president and general manager, has implemented other sustainable practices aimed at reducing waste and improving the company's transparency including Acrovyn 4000, a PVC free interior wall protection, and on-site carbon sequestration initiatives.
Last year, the company launched a transparency label for the Acrovyn 4000 product line. The label was developed to adhere to the requirements of the LEED Pilot Credit 62, which requires manufacturers to disclose chemicals of concern used in building products, the company said.
