How Mindful Materials Has Made Sustainability Goals Achievable in the Building Products Industry
February 7, 2024
As the importance of sustainable materials selection has grown from a trend to a standard, architects, designers, contractors, and developers have been challenged to make design choices and evaluate building materials for material health and transparency. With so many companies and firms finding their own way to work towards a more sustainable future, many different definitions, data sets, and demand signals entered the industry. This widens the gap between industry leaders, creating a confused, disconnected workforce and market, lowering the adoption and impact of sustainable materials.
The Common Materials Framework
An opportunity to identify and label the best sustainable materials was seen by design firm HKS, which eventually resulted in the formation of the Mindful Materials Collaborative in 2014. Mindful Materials (mM) moved quickly to make a more consistent, transparent, and efficient labeling system for industry professionals to meet the sustainability goals of their projects. Drawing inspiration from the '5 buckets' of the AIA A&D Materials Pledge, mM organized over 600 data points from more than 100 certifications and standards into the Common Materials Framework for building products. As of 2023, leading organizations including The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have endorsed the Common Materials Framework. The mM Common Materials Framework supports the industry in understanding and applying over 100 of the most common building product and material certifications and disclosures.
Why a Common Language is Critical
This structured, holistic approach unites industry professionals through integration with procurement tools, ESG systems, and product databases, boosting confidence in sustainable design decisions. Since evolving into a nonprofit organization in 2022, mM has focused on simplifying the often complex and time-consuming aspect of green building certifications—material sustainability.
Who Makes Up Mindful Materials?
Like any nonprofit organization, the people involved drive mM’s success. mM has a unique and inspiring situation, which is that its partners are comprised mostly of people from competing companies and complementary industries. This group is made up of those in the owner, AEC (architectural engineering and construction), and manufacturer industries. These individuals, supported by their companies, set aside time and energy from their jobs to collaborate and align on industry goals, solutions, and how each industry can better support each other.
Mecho is a proud member of the Mindful Materials Manufacturer’s Forum, supporting the CMF’s implementation and taking part in engagement groups, working groups, and forums represented by our Material and Product Marketing Specialist, Amy Bohnenkamp. This participation in the group's quarterly meetings and semi-annual summit events has allowed us to support and learn from other building product manufacturers in various stages of their sustainability journeys.
Speaking about her experience at the mM Manufacturers Forums:
Continued Support for Sustainable Efforts
Mecho’s involvement with mM has reinforced our goals of offering more sustainability certifications and resources, such as our newest contribution of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on all shade cloths. Similarly, the Common Materials Framework has allowed us and peer companies in the Forum to communicate clearly with customers about what we do and how our goals align with theirs, making sustainability clearer and more accessible.
The work of Mindful Materials is critical to not only the future of our industry, but also the health of our planet. The adoption of mM’s Common Materials Framework by so many large, influential companies and organizations has helped to establish a precedent for the future behaviors and goals of those in our industry. Mindful Materials' actions of aligning industry purchasing powers, bringing clarity and value to third-party standards, and fostering a community of diverse stakeholders are leading a huge market shift to one that drives demand and availability of sustainable products and data.