The Construction Product Sustainability Information Reporting Guide

Introduction:
GreenFormat™ is a new CSI Format that will allow manufacturers to accurately report the sustainability-
measuring properties of their products, and provide designers, constructors and building operators with
basic information to help meet ‘green’ requirements. Here’s how it works:

• Construction product manufacturers complete an online GreenFormat reporting

questionnaire that collects the sustainable information about their product.
• Data from the questionnaires is displayed in a standardized fashion designed to ease sus-
tainable design decision-making.
• Access to both will be provided through www.greenformat.com.

Those using the website will be able to print reports on specific products based on their queries within
the database.

General Organizational Structure:

Sustainable information reported in GreenFormat is grouped into categories, each containing individual
topics and questions about product sustainability. The categories are organized with topics more likely to
be important to design decisions first. This flexible structure will adapt to anticipated changes in the
industry. As sustainability issues evolve, new topics and questions will be added in the appropriate
category, and existing topics and questions that become obsolete or change will be dropped if
necessary. The structure can be applied to all construction products and product categories.

GreenFormat Category Summary

• Categories 1, 2, and 3 are general, used to • Categories 5, 6, and 7 address three of the
categorize the information by MasterFormat four methods of specifying - Category 5 for a
number, manufacturer's name, product name reference standard specification, Category 6
or trade name (with a manufacturer's brief for a performance specification, and Category
description of the product), and date the 7 for a descriptive specification. The fourth
information is provided. This allows method of specifying, the proprietary method,
manufacturers the flexibility to describe either would use the information presented in
standard products or unique products. Users Categories 2 and 3.
can search this information by MasterFormat
number, by manufacturer name, by trade • Category 5 - Sustainable Standards and
name, or by keyword. It is flexible enough to Certifications relates to the information a
also link to UniFormat and OmniClass specifier would include in the Quality
classification systems. Assurance article of a specification, and it
provides verification of environmental claims.
• Category 4 - Regulatory Agency This unique and important section of
Sustainability Approvals asks the GreenFormat relates to the Quality Assurance
manufacturer which regulatory agency article in CSI's SectionFormat and is necessary
approvals the product meets and the date the if the specifier is writing a reference standard
product was last approved. This allows the specification. The information provided in this
design professional to search the database for category allows the specifier to search for a
products that are approved for use by various product based on its meeting a sustainable
regulatory agencies. As more regulations come standard.
into effect, this section will expand.

GreenFormat™ Version 1.0 Summary

© 2007 The Construction Specifications Institute
 • Category 6 - Sustainable Performance • Category 10 - Construction Phase relates to
Criteria relates to the product's sustainable sustainable issues during the construction
performance, and would be of interest when phase. These include construction waste
writing a performance specification or when a management, indoor air quality during
product's performance is being evaluated or construction, and contract closeout issues such
compared to other products. as final cleaning, testing and balancing, and
commissioning. The answers to these
• Category 7 - Sustainable Composition of questions can be incorporated into contract
Product relates to what the product is made document specifications under Part 3 -
from, as well as material off-gassing. This is Execution. This information is relevant for all
descriptive information and would be used buildings - not just sustainable construction.
when writing a descriptive specification, or
when researching the composition of a • Category 11 - Facility Operations Phase
product. relates to the durability and life span of the
product, and cleaning, maintenance, and
• Categories 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 relate facility operation issues. This information
generally to the five phases of a construction informs the designer, the owner, and the facility
material's life cycle, which a design manager in selecting products with long life
professional evaluates when selecting a and low maintenance.
sustainable product. It is not an attempt to
collect all the information necessary to perform • Category 12 - Deconstruction / Recycling
the life cycle analysis of a product, but only to Phase relates to how products are processed
categorize the most important and most after their useful life in the building. Material
commonly asked sustainability questions that reuse and recycling have positive effects on
relate to a product's lifespan. These are manufacturing and construction activities by
generally recognized categories used by the lessening the use of virgin materials. Questions
sustainability community, categorized and in this category relate to manufacturer and
named following the construction phases used industry recycling programs, product reuse,
in CSI's Project Resource Manual (PRM). recycling options, and disposal options.

• Category 8 - Material Extraction and • Category 13 - Additional Information allows

Transportation relates to the embodied manufacturers to provide any additional
energy within the raw materials that make up a information they want to share about their
product and the greenhouse gasses emitted company's environmental policy or programs,
into the environment as a result of material other environmental groups that also list their
extraction and transportation to the products, or other environmental information
manufacturing plant. This category will evolve they want to share.
in the future as more detailed information on
greenhouse gas emissions becomes available. • Category 14 - Certification is an assurance to
GreenFormat users that the information
• Category 9 - Manufacturing Phase relates to provided by the manufacturer is true and
the sustainability of the manufacturing facilities correct and has the company's official
and processes and their effect on the endorsement behind it. Also included is a
environment. Questions relate to request for a manufacturer technical contact if
manufacturers' verifiable commitment to GreenFormat users have questions.
sustainability, actions they have taken, and the
byproducts produced as a result of their
manufacturing process.

For more information on this new CSI Format visit www.csinet.org/greenformat or

www.greenformat.com or call CSI at 800-689-2900.

The Construction Specifications Institute

99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
GreenFormat™ Version 1.0 Summary 800-689-2900 ٠ Fax 703-684-0465
© 2007 The Construction Specifications Institute [email protected]