Green building and greenwashing

HE green building movement continues apace and more LBM dealers continue to ask how they can prepare.

One of the best things dealers can do is get their key staff trained in the most relevant programs for their area, whether it's LEED or a regional program. Developing this knowledge base in the organization can only be a positive and, if pursued intelligently, can be leveraged for competitive advantage.

But knowledge of guidelines is only half the battle since, as a merchant, the bottom line is still the bottom line-you have to stock and be effective at selling the green materials and products that green builders want, or should want with the proper education. And education is, of course, one of the most important aspects of selling. Which brings up the question: How do you know which products to stock?

The first part of the answer should be obvious-ask your customers. You have to get close to your customers, learn about the projects their working on, and for goodness sake, ask them what kinds ofproducts you should stock for them. Having some background in green building guidelines will help you ask the questions intelligently, but even so, a green builder who encounters an interested, responsive retailer is practically a customer for life, so go do it!

By Jay Tompt

But relying on your customers to tell you what they want is, again, only half the battle. Developing expertise in your product categories and discerning the "real deal" from the "greenwash" requires some study of product certifications and getting to know the manufacturers.

Product certifications exist to protect against false claims and many are so good that green building rating systems like LEED incorporate them as standard. Among them, for example, are GreenSeal's GS-l 1, the standard for low-VOC paint and coatings, and FloorScore, for lowemitting flooring products.

But for uncertified products, merchandise managers must determine whether the product is truly green, is good enough to stand behind, and whether customers actually want it. After all, if a product fails to satisfy, for whatever reason, the dealer's reputation can suffer right along with the manufacturer's. And reputations are damaged most when the charge is "greenwashing."

In short, greenwashing is the false or exaggerated claims about a product-that it's "LEED certified" (LEED is a building rating system, not a product certification) when it's not, or that it has any number of "green" qualities that are vague, untrue and/or unverified.

In the realm of green building, merchandise managers can help themselves by asking manufacturers for third party LEED credit analysis or other documentation that demonstrates the veracity of the claims being made. A manufacturer that has gone the extra mile to produce an environmental product declaration, for example, demonstrates not only that the product qualifies for LEED credits, but that they take green building seriously. That's a good sign.

It's also a good idea to attend green building expos and talk to manufacturers directly. There are shows in almost every region of the country. GreenBuild, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the largest national show. These shows are where you'll find the best information on new products and their performance characteristics. Find those gems and your green building reputation will be golden.

Construction Slowdown Breaks Window Growth

A collapse in new construction is driving down window demand to nearly half of its record 2005 level, according to a new study by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association and Window & Door Manufacturers Associat ion.

Shipments of wood windows, already down by 4OVo since their 2003 high, are expected to fall another 257o this year, before picking back up next year.

Vinyl windows should fall22.5Vo this year (a 437o drop since 2005), while aluminum will plummet 36Vo (667o below '05).

Fiberglass, the only major material to increase last year-as well as in the each of the five prior years-will slip l2%o this year, then rebound to jump approximately 337o in each of the next three years. Its market share is expected to grow from its current 2.87o to 4.4Vo by 2013.

The 2008/2009 U .5. Industry Statistical Review & Forecast for Windows, Doors and Skylights is available from www.wdma.com.

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Shipments of Prime Windows (2003 - 2012rorecast)

At Kleer, we've always been committed to providing the highest quality cellular PVC building products for our customers. But even more importantly, we're also committed to doing our part to protect the environment. As a result, we're proud to announce many of the products you've come to rely upon from us have achieved recycled content certification trom the internationally recognized Scienti{ic Certifi cation Systems (SCS).

We'ro taking action and so should you. With products as durable, versatil€ and affordable as ever, and now featuring a minimum 1670 preconsumer recycled content, how could your choice be anv more Kleer?

RND OUTWHY BUILDING MORETHAN BUILDINGS IS SOI/ETHING WE ALL SHOULD STRIVING FORATWWW.