As building product manufacturers rise to the challenges of supplying green building materials and products using sustainable processes, they face increased pressure from rapidly changing performance standards and evolving definitions of sustainable practices. Already, many of these engaged companies have invested heavily in product development, while some go further developing life cycle analysis for their products and corporate sustainability reports for their processes. The deeper and broader transformation as an industry will be based on continued investments in new technologies, manufacturing processes, and market development, but the driving forces will continue to evolve as new certifications, codes, and standards emerge, new requirements for performance develop, and indeed, as new risks and liabilities are unveiled. This focus area will explore the product development and manufacturing side of the equation, and pinpoint where building product manufacturers currently are on the path toward sustainability, where they need to be by the end of the decade, and how they can get there.
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Alex Wilson, Founder/Executive Editor, BuildingGreen
Over the past 20 years Alex Wilson has contributed more to understanding green building products and performance than anyone in the industry. His launch of Environmental Building News in 1992, followed by GreenSpec, the industry’s first directory of green building products, revolutionized the product evaluation process. He has served on the board of directors of the U.S. Green Building Council helped create its Research Committee, and received the 2010 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing.
Peter Yost, Residential Program Manager, BuildingGreen
Peter Yost’s experience stretches over 25 years as a building scientist and researcher, educator, and author. He has contributed his expertise in development of the National Green Building Standard, USGBC's LEED for Homes, EPA’s WaterSense, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America programs.