Glossary

The lifecycle of commercial buildings in Canada typically spans 50-60 years but may extend longer. Other types of buildings may have longer or shorter life spans.

Building lifecycles extend 50 years or more. Therefore, using materials with higher embodied energy may be justifiable if their durability and longevity span several decades. In contrast, exhibitions and theatre sets are often designed to last only a few weeks to a few years. Even with materials reuse, it is unlikely these materials will remain viable for many decades.

Repeat reuse of materials across several staged events is limited by factors such as assembly and disassembly, painting, trimming, and reconfiguring. These processes often compromise the material’s integrity and usability over time. Therefore, selecting new materials with high embodied energy or Global Warming Potential is particularly concerning given their relatively short lifespan in staged environments.

Using recycled metals and other upcycled materials can significantly reduce embodied energy compared to materials produced from virgin materials.

CARB certification is set by the state of California. It is often regarded as the most stringent in the United States and valued for their high environmental standards in Canada. CARB certification primarily targets the emission levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde from composite wood products.
Key points about CARB certification include:

• Air Quality Standards: CARB certification ensures that composite wood products meet stringent air quality standards.
• Formaldehyde Emission Control: The certification mandates that formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products stay below set levels, reducing the risk of exposure.
• Product Scope: The certification applies to a range of products, including hardwood plywood, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
• Market Requirement: For many products, obtaining CARB certification is necessary to access the Californian and, in many cases, the wider U.S. market.
  Health Protection: By limiting harmful emissions, CARB certification helps protect public health.
• LEED Compliance: The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED v4) standards for sustainable building, specifically under the materials section, recognize and encourage compliance with CARB certification. This means that using CARB-certified materials can contribute to earning LEED points, helping projects achieve higher levels of LEED certification.

Fossil fuels are used in plastics and other petrochemical products, for fuel in vehicles and manufacturing and other equipment, and to heat some buildings (natural gas and oil heat).

Sometimes referred to as “Carbon” or “carbon emissions” or “carbon footprint” as a short form for carbon dioxide – but not to be confused with carbon monoxide which is not a greenhouse gas.

Circularity emphasizes environmental sustainability as well as economic efficiency by eliminating waste and prolonging the useful life of materials.

Circular practices optimize the use of products and materials and other resources to reduce consumption and avoid waste across an entire system. Circularity considers the full cycle of environmental impacts of goods from extraction of raw materials and manufacturing products and shipping to the impacts of their use and disposal. It is often used as a synonym for circular economy.

A system in which materials are continuously reused and repurposed, preventing them from becoming waste. Circular economy practices involve carefully planning and implementing processes that minimize waste, preserve resources, and extend the life of materials and products. This approach emphasizes selecting materials that can be reused, refurbished, recycled into new products, or composted.

By extending the life of materials in circulation or repurposing or regenerating them for reuse, organizations avoid waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions. See Circularity in the 5 Elements for further info.

For staged environments, the focus is on design-for-disassembly so that materials can be re-assembled for reuse in their same state or reconfigured into new exhibition structures, or packed flat to store for reuse or for shipping and re-assembly at another location.

Good modular design encourages flexibility and creativity, and supports circularity because pieces can be reconfigured for reuse repeatedly.

Didactics often make use of vinyl letters and adhesives or printed vinyl sheeting which are discarded when the exhibition ends. See the publication Using the Resources at Hand: Sustainable Exhibition Design in the Resources & Inspiration section for tips on low waste and non-toxic alternative materials for didactics.

To be ‘ecological’ means being concerned with the wider effects of scenographic production, to consider how it affects and relates to the broader ecosystem (beyond the theatre). It entails incorporating principles of ecology to create recyclable, biodegradable, restorative and/or regenerative performance spaces. This is intrinsic to ecoscenographic practice. Source: Ecoscenography website

Embodied carbon is often measured and reported as Global Warming Potential (GWP) because some emissions calculations are for future emissions if the building or product is still in use.

Note: “Carbon” refers to carbon dioxide which is just one of the 7 main greenhouse gas emissions. Some projects distinguish measurement of carbon dioxide from measurement of all 7 GhG emissions.

To earn the ENERGY STAR label for products, manufacturers must obtain third-party certification against strict performance requirements. Third-party certification ensures products are properly tested and reviewed prior to being labeled.

They provide transparent, verified, and comparable information about the lifecycle environmental impact of products, including data on a product’s carbon footprint, water use, etc.

The most important metric published in an EPD is the product/product type’s Global Warming Potential (GWP). With an increasing focus on embodied carbon, the GWP is what the industry uses to assess the extent to which the life of a product impacts the environment.

For wood products, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicates the quantity of CO2 emissions released into the environment per cubic meter of the product, during the ‘cradle to gate’ process. The ‘cradle to gate’ process includes all stages from raw material acquisition to the point the product leaves the factory gate, but before it is transported to the user or consumer.

It aims to balance ecological goals with other sustainability goals (economic and social) and includes actions such as reducing GhG emissions, use of renewable energy, reducing and avoiding waste and advancing circular practices, and ensuring equitable resource access.

It promotes sustainable forestry practices, including biodiversity protection, worker safety, and community engagement. Products with FSC certification, like timber or paper, assure consumers that they are supporting responsible forest management. See also: Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

See New Materials for discussion of the environmental impacts of some common types of framing materials.

GWP is a measure of how much a greenhouse gas contributes to climate change and is quantified in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO₂e). Specifically, GWP measures how much energy the emissions of 1 tonne of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, typically a 100-year time horizon, relative to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Gases with a higher GWP absorb more energy, per ton emitted, than gases with a lower GWP, and thus contribute more to warming Earth. The most pervasive greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), was assigned a GWP of 1. All other GhGs are multiples of this (e.g. Methane has a GWP of about 23 – or 23 times more potency for warming the planet than CO2).

Key points about GREENGUARD Certification include:

• Air Quality: Products that are GREENGUARD certified to contribute to healthier indoor air by limiting their chemical emissions.
• Chemical Emission Standards: The certification ensures that products meet some of the world’s most rigorous chemical emissions standards, reducing exposure to chemicals and pollutants.
• Product Scope: The certification applies to a variety of product categories, including building materials, furnishings, electronics, cleaning and maintenance products, and more.
• Third-Party Verification: That products have been tested for their chemical emissions performance.

The amount of time GhGs can remain in the atmosphere varies from one gas to another, ranging from a few years to thousands of years. Some gases are more effective (or more potent) than others at making the planet warmer, i.e. building up like a blanket around the earth’s atmosphere. This is called the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases.

Key points about HPDs include:

• Transparency: HPDs provide transparency about the ingredients in building products, helping stakeholders understand the potential health impacts.
• Material Health: They provide data on the health effects of the materials in a product, which can guide safer product selections.
• Standardization: The HPD Open Standard provides a consistent format for reporting product content and associated health information.
• Third-Party Verification: Products with HPDs have been independently verified, adding credibility to their health claims.
• LEED Points: HPDs can contribute to achieving Material Ingredient reporting credits under the LEED v4 and v4.1 rating systems.

Unlike industries such as paints, the development of HPDs for wood products is still ongoing. As such, they are less common but are becoming increasingly important for transparency in the building materials industry.

LEED addresses materials as well as building design and construction. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, and it is backed by an entire industry of committed organizations and individuals paving the way for market transformation.

LEED certification of buildings and urban developments is done by a 3rd party and while planning and design may follow LEED guidelines and specifications, the LEED governing body awards the certification to qualifying buildings and developments only after completion of construction.

See also embodied energy. LCA measurement of greenhouse gas emissions over the life of a product or service is measured in Global Warming Potential (GWP).

Locally made goods or ‘buying local’ is perceived as an environmentally beneficial option because it may result in a reduction in transportation related greenhouse gas emissions. A detailed assessment of shipping-related GHG emissions will consider the mode of transportation. In some cases, longer distances shipped by rail or sea may generate lower emissions than goods shipped by truck or airplane.

Other benefits of ‘buying local’ are the benefits to local businesses and jobs. Overall research shows that buying local keeps more money circulating within a town or city or region, boosting the local economy.

Garbage or waste sent to landfill will break down anaerobically to generate methane gas. Reducing and avoiding waste through circularity practices will reduce methane emissions.

Plywood, MDF and luan are commonly used types of panelling. Other types of wood-based panels (sheets) and drywall (also known as plasterboard, gyprock and sheet rock) are sometimes used.

See New Materials for discussion of the environmental impacts of some common types of panelling.

For exhibitions and other staged environments, the SAGE toolkit focuses on the above five (5) key principles of circularity. The 5Rs guide planning, design, materials selection, building and disassembly of staged environments. There are additional “Rs” among circular principles, some more relevant to manufacturers or government waste management practices. See the 5 Elements: Planning for more detail.

A significant component of the PEFC certification system is the Chain of Custody which provides a mechanism for tracking certified material from the forest to the final product. It is a process of documenting and verifying that each step of the supply chain—from harvesting through processing, manufacturing, and distribution—maintains the integrity of the certified status of forest-based materials.

It is of immense importance as it provides assurances to customers, consumers, and stakeholders about the origins of the forest-based material, ensuring they originate from responsibly-managed forests. It helps in validating sustainability claims and supports businesses in sourcing responsibly, thereby enhancing consumer trust in products and the brands behind them.

This approach may involve sharing, lending, donating, or selling materials for reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing, or upgrading. Recycling is sometimes considered as another way to recirculate products and materials.

Recycled materials and products that have been used before and then put through a (manufacturing) process to create new products with all or partial recycled content.

This principle advocates for more efficient use of resources, which could involve designing products and productions that require fewer materials, consume less energy or reduce the amount of waste generated.

In the architecture and construction sectors, regenerative building is done in a way the building mimics the restorative aspects found in nature. This may be done by regenerative design and materials choices, such bio-based materials, and by improving or protecting the surrounding environment by restoring a site’s natural hydrology or providing or protecting plant and wildlife habitat.

Some principles of regenerative design include:

• Holistic thinking, i.e., a design approach based on the idea that all things in nature are interconnected, and that what benefits one thing likely benefits another.
• Focus on potential, i.e., a focus on the intended effect and outcome of the design such as avoiding waste and creating opportunities for reuse.
• Analysis of place, i.e., analysis of space that evaluates how a space functions and interacts with its environment, considering its physical layout and broader ecological, social, and cultural impacts. Examines how the space is used, its effect on the environment, and its potential to regenerate rather than deplete resources.
• Biodiversity, i.e., design that promotes environmental sustainability, the health of ecosystems, life and dynamism.
• Circular economy, i.e., a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. Circular design aims to reduce and eliminate waste, recirculating products and materials for reuse, and refusing to use materials that are high carbon or environmentally damaging.

These materials not only reduce environmental harm, but also possess properties that promote ecological balance, support sustainable resource management, and foster environmental restoration. From natural fibers to sustainable wood and timber, regenerative materials come in several forms. Source: Tocco

Bio-based materials, such as bamboo, straw and hemp-based wallboard or building blocks, as well as natural wood or earth-based solutions are regenerative materials.

In the context of SAGE activities, it encompasses exhibitions in museums, galleries and science centres as well as theatre sets, as both are designed spaces meant to engage an audience or convey a message.This term is used throughout the SAGE toolkit.

The most often quoted definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Often called the ‘triple bottom line’ the three pillars of sustainability are sometimes termed: planet, people and profit, which refers to environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic (or financial) sustainability.

It covers key values such as the protection of biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and water quality, and encourages community involvement and adherence to local laws. Products with SFI certification, like timber and paper, assure consumers that they come from responsibly managed forests.

There are certain differences between FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative):

• Origin and Recognition: FSC is an internationally-recognized organization with standards developed by a global consortium of stakeholders. On the contrary, SFI originated and is mainly recognized within North America, and its standards were primarily formed by forestry industry professionals.
• Chain of Custody: The chain of custody system in FSC is typically considered more stringent, requiring each company in the supply chain to have certification. In contrast, SFI permits a “fiber sourcing” certification where non-certified wood can be mixed in if it fulfills SFI’s sourcing standards.
• Scale: FSC certification is generally seen more in tropical countries and smaller forest lands, whereas SFI certification is more prevalent in North America and on extensive forest lands.
• Certification Process: FSC certifications are conducted by independent third-party auditors, while SFI permits self-assessments in conjunction with third-party reviews.

Also described as recycling (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item (a discarded object). The phrase is often used in the world of home improvement and crafting. The prefix ‘up’ indicates that a previously used, now useless item is changed into something with a different function.