Manufacturers to Architects: Buy Greener Products or They May Go Away

Five years ago, about 40 prominent architecture firms issued a demand to manufacturers: tell us what’s in your products. They got transparency documents for thousands of product lines in return, according to 35 signatories to a recent letter, and now it’s time for those architecture firms to follow up with “demand” in the economic sense of the word—by making sure the relevant products make it into projects.

“The manufacturing industry has shown that transparency and innovation are possible,” states the letter, which was developed by companies that are part of the Living Product 50 group managed by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). This group is working to create products certified under ILFI’s Living Product Challenge program. “Now we need to hear that it matters to you, and that it has an impact on your choices and purchasing decisions. We need your feedback to justify continued reinvestment and expansions in sustainability efforts.”