American Architectural Manufacturers Association

ASTM Sustainability and VMC Environmental Stewardship Committees Seek Similar Goals

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Despite intensive worldwide interest, sustainability has not achieved widespread implementation across mainstream markets. One reason is that mainstream adoption of sustainable development practices relies on the creation of consensus industry standards and there has been a lack of consensus on what standards to apply to “sustainable” products and projects. Various organizations have been weighing in on standardization efforts to define and standardize sustainability at both the whole building and component level. Whole-building-oriented programs include LEED™ and GreenGlobes™ rating systems, product-oriented standards programs include GreenSeal™ and ENERGY STAR® and programs that address aspects of both projects and components include ASHRAE 189.1, ICC-700 and UL Environment. 

But all of these have different approaches and different emphasis. This variance and the pressing need for consensus has brought technical and industry leaders together under the ASTM umbrella to cooperate in a precedent-setting standards-writing activity on sustainability. ASTM Committee E60 on Sustainability (E60) was formed to acquire, promote and disseminate knowledge; stimulate research and develop standards relating to sustainability and sustainable development encompassing environmental, social, economic and other aspects.

In short, E60 aims to make the goals of sustainable development a reality throughout the marketplace through collaborative efforts among technical experts from industry, government, trade associations and academia. Since its inception in 2008, the Committee has grown to a current total membership of approximately 580 and has spawned several subcommittees. The ASTM E60.01 Subcommittee on Buildings and Construction deals most closely with fenestration issues.

E60 supports and serves as a resource for other ASTM committees in their activities that include sustainability issues. Its work is coordinated with other ASTM committees and organizations having mutual interest.

Among the standards published and managed by E60 are the following related to the building and construction industry and the fenestration sector:

• ASTM E1991, Standard Guide for Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Building Materials/Products covers a common framework and set of principles for potential users, such as product manufacturers, environmental analysts, consultants, architects and the building industry in general. It describes a framework for life cycle inventory analysis and describes various options and aspects of impact assessment and interpretation. The guide presents the concepts and major features of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which is still evolving as an emerging sustainability tool. The component phases of LCA, including goal definition and scoping, inventory, impact assessment, interpretation and the various methodologies used in these phases are in various stages of development.

• ASTM E2129, Standard Practice for Data Collection for Sustainability Assessment of Building Products is a standard designed to assess the “sustainability of elements or products” used in commercial and residential construction. The standard addresses the potential environmental sustainability of a building project according to five major criteria: materials, manufacturing, operational performance of installed product, indoor environmental quality and corporate environmental policy. Rather than establishing specific requirements within each of these categories, ASTM E2129 poses a series of questions. Answers to those questions demonstrate to what degree a structure adheres to the principle of sustainable building. However – given that the nature and use of building products vary widely and that certain data requirements may not apply – it offers no hard and fast rules as to interpretation of the data obtained, deferring instead to professional judgment.

• ASTM E2432, Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings, the practical application of the general principles of sustainability, relies upon balancing environmental, economic and social impacts and committing to continual improvement in order to approach this ideal. ASTM E2432 discusses the balancing of these factors in the context of an overview of sustainability as it applies to buildings. It specifically recognizes that a variety of tools and standards exist that qualify and quantify the impacts of buildings and building materials. One of these could include the fenestration sustainability rating system under development by the AAMA Green and Sustainability Specification Development Task Group.

The AAMA Vinyl Material Council Environmental Stewardship Committee (Chair Kimberly Litz [Arkema]) is seeking to work closely with E60.  The ASTM E60 Committee on Sustainability meets twice a year, usually in April and October, with about 100 members attending three days of technical meetings. All VMC members are urged to join their peers on E60 and, as ASTM states, “help create the standards that will shape the future of global sustainability.”

For further information, contact Steve Mawn, Staff Manager, at (610) 832-9726 or visit the E60 home page. A short video on the E60 Committee is also available for viewing on the ASTM website.

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