Today’s building design and construction professionals are increasingly being called upon to specify products that both meet environmental performance and building safety requirements and promote long-term resiliency—a balance that can be challenging to achieve. The good news is that green building trends are driving greater demand for third-party verified information. American Wood Council (AWC) technical publications embrace a simplified yet science-driven approach to understanding the potential environmental impact of building products.
While some environmentally-conscious builders do their own research to guide the selection of building products based on environmental performance, this can be a daunting and time-intensive process depending on the size and scope of the project. To help alleviate this, environmental product declarations (EPDs) are playing a larger role in simplifying these decisions.