Green product selection is a key component of sustainable design. Green products can loosely be defined as those that reduce, recycle and renew – the three R’s of sustainability. Specifically, sustainable products:

Reduce the amount of raw materials needed for the manufacturing process. Lighter and/or smaller products generally require the use of less energy for transportation, storage and construction. Reduce can also refer to decreasing the amount of material used and/or wasted.

Offer high recycled content and/or environmentally friendly reuses. The benefits here are obvious. Products with a high-recycled content may reduce raw material usage, energy consumption and landfill waste.

Renew the environment by using materials that can be regenerated and/or materials offering environmentally friendly benefits.