A Global Language for Materials Metrics based on the UN SDGs

In collaboration with Danish Energy Management | 2018

One of the greatest challenges to advancing widespread adoption of materials sustainability is that there is not a common standard for evaluating materials. With hundreds of proprietary certifications each with unique criteria, it is difficult to maintain consistency in defining improvement and articulating progress.

With growing demand for industry harmonization, I saw an opportunity to build consensus and develop a common language using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The SDGs establish 17 goals for global sustainability, and while these are not inherently related to building materials, they provide a framework for interpretation and contextualization that has been used by governments and organizations around the world.