by Shane Henson — September 19, 2011—The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched a new standard to help manufacturers demonstrate best practice regarding the sustainability of their products. The standard should in turn assist facilities personnel in selecting products with confidence that the products will help their respective companies meet their own sustainability goals.
BS 8905:2011, Framework for the Assessment of the Sustainable Use of Materials encourages manufacturers to give due consideration to environmental, social and economic impacts when assessing potential use of materials in their products. Products with increased sustainability can be defined as those that generate greater positive or lower negative social, environmental and economic impacts along the value chain from producer to end user than conventional products.
According to BSI, historically, manufacturers have based their choice of materials on cost and performance; however, with growing pressure to demonstrate social, economic and environmental compliance, BS 8905 helps companies perform a full sustainability assessment on their potential material choices.
Early adopters of BS 8905 include global players such as Tata Steel and Aggregate Industries and Luxus, a leading plastic recycler in the United Kingdom.
