Facility teams face a flood of green labels and sustainability claims when choosing building products. This article explains how to cut through the noise by focusing on verified data, not marketing. Key steps include understanding the difference between transparency documents like Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and third-party certifications, and prioritizing durability and maintenance over single metrics like lowest embodied carbon. The piece offers practical guidance: ask five specific questions before specifying a product, learn to interpret EPDs and Health Product Declarations (HPDs), and use resources like the AIA Materials Pledge or Mindful Materials to organize certifications by impact category. It stresses that a product that fails quickly creates a bigger sustainability problem than one with slightly higher upfront carbon but longer lifespan. For facility managers, the takeaway is clear: performance and longevity matter as much as labels. The article also recommends documenting maintenance and end-of-life plans so sustainability goals survive staff turnover. This is a useful primer for anyone making procurement decisions in commercial buildings.
