As Interior Designers it is our job to design sustainably not only for ourselves, but also for the environment. There are several different sustainable strategies we can integrate into our designs, as well as strive to achieve LEED certification. Not only are designers realizing that it is their job to design sustainably, but manufacturers of building materials, and furniture companies are also getting into this trend.
There is now an online database filled with sustainable materials and furniture that designers can browse through called “Mindful Materials”. Within this database designers are given options for furniture and finishes from manufacturers that are only sustainable. Examples of materials the database has to offer designers are materials that are pre-consumer recycled, post-consumer recycled, low VOC emitting, green guard certified materials, and material sourcing data.
The Mindful Materials database is run through the Origin link. This is a library in which different manufacturers can link their company website, and show all product certification and data for designers to see quickly and easily. This is a great resource as well as big time saver in the furniture and material selection processes. Below is a quotation of the Mindful Materials mission statement.
The mindful Materials Library aggregates product sustainability information while minimizing redundant effort on the part of both manufacturers and designers. mindful Materials is not another certification. It is an agnostic product certification library, enabling manufacturers to showcase product transparency and optimization information and industry professionals to search for a multitude of relevant products. Designed by stakeholders from across the building industry, the mindful Materials Library is a practical product selection tool for design teams needing to incorporate product transparency information into their real-time decisions. Backed by vetting efforts of the mindful Materials Review Working Group, as well as having direct connections to verified data from integrated auditors/certifiers, confidence in mM Library data is strong. Powered by Origin, the mindful Materials Library is a collaborative solution for communicating and sourcing product transparency and optimization information across the industry. As Origin adds network data partners and mindful MATERIALS adds users, participating manufacturers benefit from reduced information management efforts and increased ROI for certification and transparency efforts (Mindful Materials, 2019).
Below is a view into the Origin Library where you can see on the left side column the manufacturer of the product, and towards the right side you can see the data listed for the Product.
This is a look into the data sheet for each material or furniture item listed.
To wrap up, some of my personal favorite manufacturers that are included in the data base are Knoll, AllSteel, Teknion, and Shaw Contract due to their close attention to sustainable manufacturing and product quality. All the manufacturers who have taken the initiative to create sustainable products, while maintaining quality and good design aesthetic deserve the most business. The Mindful Materials Library helps to eliminate any doubts or questions about what finished or furniture products we are using in our designs. The end results are saving time in the design process, providing our clients with appropriate and sustainable FF&E and lastly, making the world a little greener one design at a time.
-Joe
