The Just The Facts Guide in a new format. Learn about how to fight greenwash with a non labels, straight approach based on pure facts.

1. 1
How to choose the most sustainable products
and what to ask the manufacturers

2. 2 3
Just the facts guide
Contents
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42

3. 4 5
Just the facts guide
Understand the
product life-cycle
To understand which product has the lowest
environmental impact, you have to assess the impacts
at each stage, from beginning to end of the life-cycle.
RAW materials Manufacturing Transportation Packaging Customer use End of life
Ramon Arratia
Sustainability Director EMEAI, InterfaceFLOR
* EPD = Environmental Product Declaration (see page 26)

4. 6 7
Just the facts guide
Understanding product
environmental performance
“Companies are waking Environmental impacts occur
up to the full range of at each stage of a product
A typical manufactured impacts in the life-cycle life-cycle The accepted method
product contains a number of for life-cycle assessment (LCA)
of their products. They
components. Each component is defined by the International
may start with carbon “Twenty years ago we
may contain several materials. Standards Organisation
but we are seeing greater developed the first models
(ISO14040 and ISO14044).
Most products are awareness of water for life-cycle assessment
manufactured by a chain footprinting and other An LCA calculates the (LCA). The methodology,
of suppliers, processing impacts as well.” environmental footprint at each data and tools are now so
the material or assembling stage of manufacture, use operational that an LCA
components prior to their final and disposal. It assesses all can be created quite easily
delivery to the customer. If the significant environmental for almost any product in
you imagine the roots of a tree impacts associated with the the market. Once you know
feeding towards the trunk, you product, including the impact
have a visual impression of a the substances, chemicals
on water, air, land and climate
typical manufacturing supply Simon Aumonier and raw materials of a
change.
chain. Partner, Product product, you can map its full
Many products have impacts Stewardship, ERM environmental impacts.”
Environmental impacts occur in use and almost all do during
at each stage of the supply disposal. To understand
chain from the extraction or which product has the lowest
growing of the raw material, environmental impact, you
throughout its processing and have to assess the impacts at
manufacture; transporting each stage, from beginning to
components between end of the life-cycle. Henrik Wenzel
processing stages, and Professor, Environmental
the finished product to the Basing a judgement solely on Engineering Developer of EDIP
consumer or final user, also one part of the life-cycle can be methodology used in leading
has environmental impacts. misleading. LCA software worldwide

5. 8 9
Just the facts guide
Categories of
environmental
impact used in LCA
Icon Name Description Units of measurement
Embodied energy – not renewable Energy from fossil fuels MJ
Embodied energy – renewable Energy from renewable sources MJ
Greenhouse potential Emissions that contribute to climate change kg CO2 equivalent
Acidification potential Emissions that damage vegetation, buildings, kg SO2 equivalent
aquatic life, and human health
Ozone depletion potential Emissions that cause thinning of the earth’s kg R11 equivalent
stratospheric ozone layer adversely affecting human
health, natural resources and the environment
Eutrophication potential Emissions that increase the nutrients in water or kg phosphate equivalent
soil affecting the natural biological balance
Photochemical ozone creation potential Emissions of chemicals that cause smog, kg ethene potential
adversely affecting human health, ecosystems
and crops
Human toxicity potential Emissions of materials toxic to humans, animals kg DCB equivalent
or plants

6. 10 11
Just the facts guide
Typical LCA
Impact Profiles
“LCA provides the best Typical LCA of a simple physical product that does not consume energy in use
framework currently (e.g. glass, tomato, cement)
available for assessing the
potential environmental
impacts of products.”
Different products have
different impact profiles. For
example, for physical products
such as a pencil or a carpet tile,
the main impacts occur in the European Commission
supply chain from extraction and Communication on
processing of raw materials. Integrated Product Policy – Raw materials Manufacturing Transportation Customer use End of life
For machines that consume COM (2003)302
energy, however, such as a car
Typical LCA of a machine product that consumes energy in use
or a washing machine, the major
(e.g. vacuum cleaner, car, boiler)
impacts usually occur when the
product is in use.
The LCA of a washing machine
shows that our main concern
when purchasing a washing
machine should be the energy
and water efficiency achieved
by the machine in use. Features
such as cold wash and load
sensing are designed to improve
efficiency and benefit the
Raw materials Manufacturing Transportation Customer use End of life
environment.

7. 12 13
Just the facts guide
LCA
of a carpet tile
68%
45% Yarn
InterfaceFLOR conducts Of all the raw materials we use, Yarn has 4 times more
LCAs on our whole range of it is the nylon yarn that has the impact than the backing
carpet tile products. We use greatest impact
LCAs to identify the parts
of our process and supply Conducting LCAs showed us that
chain that cause the biggest the critical question for carpet
environmental impacts. We manufacturers is how to reduce
then research and innovate the environmental impact of the
to find alternative materials yarn.
and processes toreduce 11% Backing compound
The reason yarn has such a
these impacts high impact is because the
The graph shows the LCA production of nylon requires 6% Glass fleece and turfing carrier
results for our standard carpet energy-intensive chemical
4% Precoat bonding layer
tile made with 700g of virgin reactions to transform raw 9% 8% 8% 7%
1% Packaging/1% Raw materials
nylon yarn. This illustrates that materials derived from oil into
most of the impact across yarn.
Manufacturing
Transportation
Raw materials
the whole product life-cycle is
Customer use
The calculations are based on a
connected to the production 700g carpet tile made with PA6.6 and
End of life
of the raw materials we use to InterfaceFLOR’s Graphlex® backing
with the following assumptions:
make carpet. landfilling at end-of-life, no green
energy use in the life-cycle, and a
product lifetime (use) of 10 years.

8. 14 15
Just the facts guide
How LCA can be used
to re-design products:
example of a carpet tile
There are three ways to
decrease the impact of
a carpet tile: The 3 main ways to reduce the Examples of possible sustainable design actions
1. Use less yarn per square impact of a carpet tile are:
metre
2. Use recycled yarn which
is less energy-intensive than
virgin yarn
1 Reduce A carpet tile with 50% less yarn
3. Find low-impact natural
alternatives to nylon yarn with The amount of yarn
similar quality and durability
performance.
If you are concerned about
choosing the most sustainable
2
carpet tile, the most important Increase A carpet tile with 100% recycled content
thing to ask about is the type Yarn recycled content
of yarn used, the weight of
yarn per square metre and the
percentage of recycled content
(if any).
3 Create A carpet tile with a low carbon yarn, e.g. bio-based
A smarter yarn

9. 16 17
Just the facts guide
Why embodied energy
is important
“The key aim of Life Cycle “Each European has a
Thinking is to avoid ‘burden footprint equivalent to 125
shifting’. This means kWh of primary energy
minimising impacts at one per day. But these official
Architects and engineers are
stage of the life cycle, or figures don’t include the
increasingly accustomed to
in a geographic region, embedded energy from
designing energy-efficient
buildings. But rarely is or in a particular impact the imported stuff, i.e. the
consideration given to the category, while helping to products we consume
energy used to manufacture avoid increases elsewhere. in Europe but are made
the raw materials that go into For example, saving elsewhere. This is at least
the building. energy during the use another 40 kWh per
phase of a product, while person per day.”
According to The Concrete
not increasing the amount
Centre it takes between six David J MacKay
of material needed to
and eleven years for the Author of Sustainable
operational CO2 savings provide it.”
Energy – without the hot air
achieved by using concrete in
a building to exceed the CO2
emissions from producing
concrete and aggregate
materials.
European Joint
That’s why it matters what
Research Centre
you put into your building, not
Life Cycle Thinking
just how energy-efficient it is
and Assessment
in use. Understanding the LCA
for these materials will help
you choose those with the
lowest embedded energy.

10. 18 19
Just the facts guide
Which one
do you choose?
Public concern about the
environment is leading to
a wave of green claims in
marketing. Some are clear
and accurate, but others
are designed to give a
good impression of the
product without explaining
the environmental benefit
adequately.

11. 20 21
Just the facts guide
Beware of green claims
Conventional marketing
is about strong, simple Some typical green claims seen in the building sector
claims like ‘cheapest’,
‘fastest’ and ‘biggest’. So which one would
That’s why it is very you choose? 100% natural
tempting for marketers Imagine you want to buy a
to come up with single T-shirt based on the best Free from X, Y or Z
benefit claims about environmental performance.
a product and the Three ‘green’ brands all make
environment. different claims: 100% recyclable
1 100% organic cotton
2 100% natural dyes 100% recycled
3 Carbon neutral
Carbon neutral
The only way to know which
T-shirt is the best is to look at Sustainably produced
the LCA results where all these
factors can be measured up
and compared. The best T-shirt Produced locally
may well be one that doesn’t
make any ‘100%’ claims,
but is carefully sourced, Non-toxic
manufactured and shipped to
minimise its environmental All these claims might be technically correct but their narrow scope makes them mislead in the bigger picture.
footprint at all stages of its life. See the greenwash glossary on the next page for examples of claims that may not be all that they seem.

12. 22 23
Just the facts guide
Greenwash glossary
Public concern about the permanent, not subject to “Advertisers have every
environment is leading to double-counting, and retired in right to promote their
a wave of green claims in a public registry. Not everybody green credentials and
marketing. Some are clear does so… many have been quick to
and accurate, but others reassure consumers about
are designed to give a Carbon neutral
the efforts they are making
good impression of the Offsetting precisely as much to be greener. However the
product without explaining carbon as you emit. The scope ASA needs to see robust
the environmental benefit of operations covered by the
adequately. In the UK, for evidence to back up any
claim is a critical factor – is
example, the Advertising eco-friendly claims. We
the whole life-cycle of the
Standards Authority has product covered or just its will continue to ensure that
reported a rise in complaints manufacture? the public are not misled
about ‘greenwash’ and and that advertisers are
published guidelines for Carbon negative operating in a climate
making green claims. Offsetting more carbon than of truth.”
you emit. Sounds saintly but
owes more to marketing than Christopher Graham
Here are some common
science. Director General,
claims to watch out for: UK Advertising
Climate change impact Low carbon Standards Authority
claims Carbon offset Meaningless without numbers.
Paying others to balance How low is low?
your net carbon emissions.
Meaningless unless carbon
credits are validated and
verified to ensure they are
real, additional, measurable,

13. 24 25
Just the facts guide
Greenwash glossary
General environmental Non-toxic Recycled content
claims Environmentally or As for ‘free from’ above. Industrial manufacturing waste
eco-friendly / Kind to the Only meaningful if a toxic is routinely swept up and
environment / In tune with substance, such as lead, recycled in many industries.
nature, etc has been eliminated from the For example, printers often
General and vague statements product. put paper trimmings straight
that mean nothing specific are back into the pulping process.
Produced locally / Made Natural Recycling claims Much more significant is the
almost all misleading without
in [country X] Gives a nice warm feeling Recyclable use of post-consumer waste in
explanation attached. You may
see flowers but you should This is supposed to suggest inside? Just because One of the most misused products because this avoids
smell a rat. support for the local economy something’s natural doesn’t terms. Many materials disposal to landfill.
and low transport impact. It necessarily mean it’s more are technically able to be
Free from X, Y or Z Post-consumer recycled
often just means ‘repackaged sustainable. It may seem recycled but it is not always
counterintuitive, but some content
Only valid when the product nearby’. economically viable to do so.
concerned would be expected natural products actually Will the material actually be Should refer only to material
to contain material X, Y have a higher environmental recycled? Other grey areas previously used by consumers
or Z and that material is impact than their synthetic include: and recovered after use.
environmentally harmful. In counterparts. Oil is natural,
• ‘down-cycling’ where the
some cases ‘X’ is replaced by a earthquakes too.
second use is of lower value –
different material which causes glass, for example, isusually
Award claims
other environmental problems, ‘recycled’ into aggregate for
such as paperfree tissues The desperate flag-waving of roads, not new glass
made from cotton (which has companies. Laugh or cry.
its own environmental impact). • energy from waste is
Free from A is usually pushed sometimes described as
by the manufacturers of B ‘recycling’ but in fact means
(and the other way around…) burning the waste to recover
some of the energy.

14. 26 27
Just the facts guide
Cut the fluff and send me your
EPD. Beyond complicated
supplier questionnaires
Of course you cannot possibly Objectivity and comparability
conduct an LCA on every are the main purpose of
purchase you are considering. the Environmental Product
But it is entirely reasonable Declaration (EPD). An EPD
to ask the manufacturer to includes an LCA conducted by
supply LCA information about an independent third party to a
their products, especially when standardised methodology. An
planning a major purchase EPD also includes additional “As architects, we can
decision. If they are unable information about the product
design very energy-efficient
or unwilling to do this, it including its ingredients. EPDs
buildings. The problem
suggests a lack of attention to are the most reliable way of
environmental factors in their comparing products – ask we face is being able to
design process. manufacturers of products you select the most appropriate
are interested in if they have materials from a whole life
LCA should ideally be an EPD. perspective. Getting clear
conducted by an independent and consistent LCAs for a
third party because there is too range of materials such as
much scope for manufacturers
concrete structures,
to favour their own products.
ceilings and floor finishes,
LCA involves a number of
assumptions, such as the furniture and fittings is now
useful life of a product, that essential.”
influence the results if not
approached objectively. To be
comparable LCAs needto be
conducted by an independent
organisation using a
common methodology.
Colin Campbell
Director, Capita Architecture

15. 28 29
Just the facts guide
EPDs: Example of how it
works in the European
construction sector
“Environmental Product compliant with the relevant and compliant EPDs will
Declarations (EPDs) are ISO Standards (ISO 14025 have a common structure Criteria
issued by a Programme and ISO 21930). This has led and format. The TC350
Operator, following rules to considerable confusion standards will also cover
known as Product Category in the market. A new suite the use of EPDs at the
Rules (PCR). The PCRs of European Standards, building level, encouraging
Textile Laminate TextResilient Text
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consistent manner within EPD programmes being alongside operational
each EPD Programme developed by construction impacts within schemes
and are independently EPD Schemes such as such as DGNB or BREEAM,
verified. Historically, IBU in Germany or the and enabling robust and LCA PCR EPD
the EPD Schemes for International EPD® scheme, consistent comparison of Life Cycle Assessment Product Catergory Rules Environmental
construction products in use the same, consistent, products at the building Product Declaration
Germany, France, the UK, transparent and industry level irrespective of the EPD
Netherlands, Norway, etc accepted methodology, Scheme used.”
and those developed by Standard
Trade Associations such as ISO 14040 EN15804 ISO 14025
the European Aluminium ISO 21930
Association have each EN15804
developed their own PCRs,
so they have different rules,
Jane Anderson Who
formats and procedures,
Principal Consultant Manufacturer Industry-wide Programme Owner
even though they are all PE International standard (e.g. IBU in Germany)

16. 30 31
Just the facts guide
Can’t I just look
for a green label
It’s not surprising people
look for shortcuts to help
them decide. After all, few
of us have the time to study
every purchase we make.
That’s why there are so
many labels offering quick
assurance about product
sustainability credentials.

17. 32 33
Just the facts guide
Can’t I just look for a
green label?
You may well be asking “In a world in which And the supply chain needs
‘Why does it have to be this customers are increasingly to respond with consistent
complicated to choose the looking for evidence of the and reliable information,
most sustainable product? sustainability credentials of But when you look carefully a multitude of different
Can’t I just look for a product at how some labels are
products, and increasingly approaches will only
with a green label?’ administered, you realise that
confused by the proliferation confuse specifiers and
you cannot just rely on labels.
It’s not surprising people look of claims and labels that ultimately hinder
for shortcuts to help them they find, we need as Some are too easy to obtain sustainable design.”
decide. After all, few of us much clarity and simplicity or focus on a narrow range
have the time to study every as possible. We need of issues. Others lack
purchase we make. That’s the facts, presented in a independent certification or
why there are so many labels credible, independent and may even be administered by “It is great to see more
offering quick assurance the manufacturers themselves.
standardised way, that takes suppliers working to report
about product sustainability Many labels duplicate each
into account the full life the environmental and Lorna Pelly
credentials. other, confusing clients and
cycle impacts. And that’s obliging manufacturers to social performance of Principal Sustainability
what we’ll get with EPDs.” certify the same product their products, but the Advisor, Forum for the Future
several times. Unfortunately, wide range of methods
some of the best marketed being used can lead
labels are the least robust. to some dangerously
misleading or ambiguous
To judge the value of a label claims. We need clarity
it is important to understand
Paul King and standardisation on
who is behind it, how it is
Chief Executive, metrics so that design
certified, what factors it covers
UK Green Building Council and whether it conforms to decisions and performance
recognised international monitoring can be based
standards. You need to look on sound evidence and
behind the label. transparent benchmarking

18. 34 35
Just the facts guide
Who is behind the label? Who certifies the label?
Type Who is behind and main motive Key issues Type Who is certifying Key issues Examples
Private A commercial entity seeking to Faster to develop First party The company self- Claims have not been Most marketing
earn money Motivated by need to declares independently claims,
recruit paying participants tested or verified product specifications
Might not allow open
competition for
certification
Semi-private Industry group with common Has vested interests favouring Second Involves a trade Offers little assurance Carbon neutrality
interests one industry or material over party association or against conflict of claims verified by
another consulting firm interest because the auditors, private labels
setting the standard company pays the
or verifying claims assuror
Third party Independent entity responding Focus on technical aspects Third party Independent third Certifiers can be Green Seal,
to a public issue Might be bureaucratic party conducts ANSI (American Sustainable Carpet
testing or verification National Standards Assessment Standard
Institute) approved ANSI/NSF 140-2007
to demonstrate
objectivity

19. 36 37
Just the facts guide
What is the scope International standards
of the label? for environmental
labels and declarations:
ISO14020 series
Type Who is the scope? Key issues Examples Type LCA needed Third party required What the label means Suitability for B2B
Single Recycled content, Narrow scope might GUT test on VOCs Type I – No Yes Product Average
attribute Volatile organic miss other key issues Certified complies with
compound (VOC) ecolabels the conditions
emissions, Carbon set by the label
neutral, Toxicity – usually single
benefit
Type II – No No Improvement Average
Self- of one
declarations environmental
aspect
Multi - Complete or partial The wider the scope, EPDs
attribute LCA the more reliable it is
Type III – Yes Yes Life-cycle Good
EPDs information

20. 38 39
Just the facts guide
Our opinion on labels: Nice product, shame
We prefer the geeks to about the company
the geezers
“Unfortunately a product’s In our view, these are the “We do a great deal 1 Is sustainability critical to business strategy?
sustainability performance principles of a fair and reliable of reputation research See if the annual report includes sustainability risks
cannot be reduced to a label: for global companies and opportunities.
label. To understand the • Label should be owned by across the world. What 2 Does the CEO discuss sustainability personally?
implications of a purchasing an independent not-for-profit we have observed is Search the web for key speeches.
choice, you have to be organisation that demonstrating a 3 Data history – at least five years?
willing to look a little deeper commitment to responsibility
• Certifiers should be 4
at the environmental and independent that goes beyond the gates Look at the sustainability report. Are the carbon targets
social impacts throughout of their factories counts absolute or normalised, e.g. divided by income or units sold?
the product life-cycle. • The label criteria should be when it comes to building
based on full LCA How are carbon reductions being achieved? Efficiency and
I don’t see a future for trust. Companies working to 5
InterfaceFLOR believes most in-house renewable energy are usually more sustainable
of the labelling schemes environmental labels in • Consultants advising on label make a positive difference than green electricity purchases and offset schemes.
currently available fail to fully product marketing.” applications should not be across their sector, country
linked to certifiers 6
Are other environmental impacts reported and addressed,
assess product sustainability. or the world is an important e.g. waste, waster, toxicity?
The schemes generally aim to • Labels should be indicator of differentiated
attract wide participation by independently certified as leadership.” 7 Does the company report and address social impacts,
manufacturers and therefore ‘Type III’ under ISO14025 e.g. human rights, employment, labour conditions in the
set the bar for qualification supply chain?
at a level that is too easy to A label may be the starting Does the company offer services and advice to support
Simon Propper 8
achieve. The result is that point in your search but it will customers’ sustainability aims? For example, does it
instead of distinguishing Managing Director, Context rarely provide a reliable and collect and recycle its products at the end of their life?
between products, most labels thoroughly researched answer
tend to lump them together to the question: ‘Which is the Chris Coulter 9 Is the company’s sustainability material objective?
in one category. We are also Senior Vice President, Do they discuss challenges and difficulties?
most sustainable?’
concerned that privately owned GlobeScan Incorporated 10 How do NGOs and the media view the company?
labels are frequently expensive Search for articles and campaigns. These may not be
and not technically rigorous, accurate or unbiased but enable you to evaluate the
especially if they are ‘paid for’. quality of the company’s response.

21. 40 41
Just the facts guide
References and
Further reading
InterfaceFLOR
www.interfaceflor.eu/epd
European Commission – Joint Research Centre. Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment.
http://lct.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
Buildings Common Carbon Metric by UNEP SBCI
http://www.unep.org/sbci/pdfs/UNEPSBCICarbonMetric.pdf
EPDs information about building materials
http://bau-umwelt.de/hp481/Environmental-Product-Declarations-EPD.htm
ISO14040
www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=37456
ISO14020
www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=34425
Reference for Embodied Carbon in concrete
www.sustainableconcrete.org.uk
Reference for International EPD® System
www.environdec.com

22. 42
If you want to know more,
please go to
www.interfaceflor.eu/letsbeclear
and our blog
www.interfaceflorcutthefluff.com
Get in touch
Contact Ramon Arratia
Sustainability Director
InterfaceFLOR EMEAI
ramon.arratia@interfaceflor.eu