NORTHBROOK, IL — UL Environment plans to develop sustainability standards for stone, ceramic, clay and glass building materials, as well as glazing materials, windows and their associated hardware and accessories.

The standards will establish environmental requirements for the products and take into account such factors as the products' lifecycle impacts and health effects of the associated products.

To develop the standards, input will come from manufacturers, government entities, consumer interest groups, product installers, users, distributors, testing organizations and other stakeholders who make up UL Environment Standard Technical Panels.

With this effort, UL Environment is now playing a key role in development of sustainability standards in five categories involving multiple products:

• Stone, ceramic, clay and glass building materials; 
• Glazing materials, windows, associated hardware and accessories;
• Doors and related hardware;
• Mineral board, fiberboard and wallboard; and,
• Suspended ceiling materials and systems.

Drafts of standards that began development this year are expected by the end of 2010.

UL Environment unveiled its plans to launch its service to investigate and validate green product claims at Greenbuild 2008. Its operations formally began this past January and the organization has since reviewed a number of products through its Environmental Claims Validation program. UL Environment’s announcement about its latest standards development project came last week at Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix.

Editor's note: To read all our coverage of Greenbuild 2009, visit GreenerBuildings.com/Greenbuild2009.

Image CC licensed by Flickr user swanksalot.