Sustainability and green building

How can you recognize a 'green' construction material? For lumber, you have the Forest Stewardship Council. For steel, you can start with the recycled content. For everything else, you need third-party certifications.

Above all, these third-party certifications offer transparency: proof that the supply chain and product lifecycle support sustainable construction, whether you need them for certification or not. Hilti carries out tests to measure the environmental impact of our construction supplies on an ongoing basis. This has created a comprehensive database of supporting documentation. The following files, and many more, are available on request:

• Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) – voluntary, independently verified documentation of a product's life-cycle environmental impact
• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) – measurement of a product's impact on the environment and human health at all stages from raw material extraction to use and disposal. Often accepted in place of an EPD
• Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions certificates – statement of any harmful substances released by a product, and an indication if they fall within allowable limits
• Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificates (C2C MHC) – evidence that a product is manufactured using safer substances and avoids banned chemicals
• Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR) – how companies report on their non-financial contributions to the environment, social wellbeing and sustainability
• Health Product Declaration (HPD) – comparison of product ingredients against governmental or third-party lists of hazardous substances
• Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Profiles – analysis of a product's potential effects on human health, wellbeing and the natural environment
• Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – analysis of production and use of chemicals which focuses on their consequences for human health and the environment

So that you can continue to deliver uncompromisingly healthier, sustainable architecture without losing time on paperwork, key product certifications and declarations are available from a single source: the Hilti Technical Document Download Center. If the exact certificate you need is not yet available, simply check with your Account Manager or Field Engineer.

In practical terms, the new emphasis on material sourcing and transparency means that every credit demands even more supporting documentation. Hilti has partnered with Architects, Designers, Building Owners and Contractors worldwide to help shoulder the burden of disclosure requirements for every major green building scheme. 

Just as the right tool can make light work of any task, green building materials are all about finding a workable match between spec and product. Contact your local Hilti Account Manager for project-specific advice or to request custom documentation.

Getting a building certified is a great way to signal to potential clients, future building owners and your staff that you take healthy, sustainable working conditions seriously. Certification shows that your green design decisions have been independently verified – making the building procurement process much more transparent. 

With this transparency comes a considerable amount of paperwork. Point- or credits-based sustainable building schemes, such as LEED^®, BREEAM^® and DGNB^®, depend on the evidence you gather and submit. This is a time-consuming and error-prone task. Your Hilti Account Manager is on hand to streamline the process. Here's an overview of the documents which Hilti can provide and the certification schemes to which they can contribute.