Atlanta-based ecoScorecard was formed in early 2007 by Paul Shahriari and Martin Flaherty out of a shared desire to advance the green building industry by facilitating the process of specifying and documenting green products against environmental rating systems.
As builders demand more green structures, thousands of manufacturers and retailers are aggressively shifting to green product lines. The Home Depot’s Eco-Options catalog currently offers more than 17,000 eco-friendly products. Wal-Mart is executing a plan to become the largest eco-retailer on the planet.
But the process breaks down when manufacturers and their clients try to connect. Rating systems are expanding into a variety of vertical segments. In fact, there are now nearly three dozen “green” systems and subsystems, many of which focus on specific areas such as healthcare facilities, homes, schools, and government buildings. Standards change often, forcing manufacturers and designers to continuously attempt to stay up-to-date on each SKU’s ratings.
Architects and designers wrestle with quantifying each product in the project spec. Often, they rely on the work of interns or the handful of LEED-certified professionals. Architects have complained that the process of collecting ratings points for green certification is “the full employment bill for interns” and “an inefficient mess.”
Meanwhile, manufacturers are often asked to perform the calculations for their clients, forcing sales reps to focus on research instead of selling. Manufacturers are not prepared or staffed with experts about the multiple rating systems. At the same time, it’s a challenge for companies to keep their product spec sheets updated.
Simply put, there is pressing market need to reduce wasted time, ease the frustration of suppliers and buyers, and position companies to best expand their opportunities in the rapidly expanding commercial and residential green marketplaces. Making information easy to access and understand will be even more important as consumers become more involved in residential building projects.