There are many incentives to go green, but to the average consumer, some are more compelling than others. Environmental factors are important, but they can seem remote. Economic incentives hit closer to home, but even they are sometimes imprecise, uncertain, or marginal. It is instead health-related incentives, according to Kevin Royce, owner of Eco Building Resource, that are becoming the number one driver for building owners to go green.

Eco Building Resource is an Aurora, Ontario-based company that sources and supplies environmentally friendly building materials. For two years, the company has provided products from insulation, to flooring, to paint, that, unlike their mainstream counterparts, contain no carcinogens or toxins. That is, according to Royce, a major selling point for consumers.

“I find that people are really starting to be more health-conscious,” says Royce. “Motivations for choosing green products change over time. Right now, though, people are beginning to ask questions about the chemicals and toxins that you find in ordinary paint or insulation. The fact that green products don’t contain harmful chemicals is a major selling point.

“When you open a can of paint, you’re taken aback by that strong smell,” Royce continues. “It comes from toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds, which are found in many building products. When I tell customers that our paints, seals, and finishes are odourless because they’re toxin-free, they really respond. To many people, knowing that these products are safer is the most compelling reason to buy them.”

One of Eco Building’s flagship products is UltraTouch, a natural cotton fiber insulator. Made with nearly 100% natural fibers, including denim from recycled jeans, UltraTouch, touts Royce, “contains no chemical irritants and, unlike traditional insulators, requires no warning labels.” In addition, he says that the material “does not encourage mold and mildew growth, does not cause skin irritation and can be handled without protective equipment.”

Beyond being safer, UltraTouch is, according to Royce, in many ways more efficient than traditional insulation, like fiberglass.

“Denim insulation doesn’t collapse, unlike regular insulation,” Royce explains. “After a few years, regular insulation often settles, resulting in inches of wall that is no longer being covered. That’s wasted heat. The density of UltraTouch ensures that as time passes, it will continue to insulate the entire wall. In addition, its R-Value, at 3.71 per square inch, is superior to the 3.1 of fiberglass.”

Enhancing energy-efficiency with a product that is made from 100% recyclable fibers also makes UltraTouch a candidate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. The Canada Green Building Council recognizes cotton insulation as an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient choice, which according to Royce, is an important motivation for his customers.

“Offering products that help companies attain LEED accreditation was a central reason for starting Eco Building,” says Royce. “The cotton fiber insulation in particular enables building owners to get several LEED credits, in part because it contains 85% post-industrial recycled content. LEED status has become increasingly important for building owners, so I expect that the market for green building resources will continue to grow.”

However, one can’t help but wonder why the green movement hasn’t caught on faster. It is true that over the past few years the public mindset has been steadily shifting towards environmental sustainability and green-friendly products; nevertheless, businesses like Eco Building are not seeing the boom in sales that one might expect. How does Royce account for the fact that many people continue to choose toxic, environmentally obnoxious materials for their homes and buildings?

“Branding is an enormous hurdle,” he says. “People are drawn to products and materials that they’re familiar with. There’s this idea that popular brands have somehow proven themselves to be the best or the safest. That’s obviously not the case, but it’s tough to overturn that idea.”

Many major brands, according to Royce, have engaged in what is pejoratively known as “greenwashing.” Greenwashing means slapping a green label onto a product that does not in any way warrant it. Some unscrupulous companies, says Royce, call their products “green” or “environmentally friendly” when in fact they are anything but.

“For example, you have popular cleaning liquids that have little green logos on the label that say ‘this product is green’,” he says. “The truth is that many of these liquids contain bleach. People see the green logo and believe that when they buy the product, they’re making the environmentally sound choice. That kind of greenwashing deters would-be customers from buying materials that are actually green.”

But Royce says that the public may be beginning to catch on. He believes that consumers are becoming more attuned to long-term, cost-effective solutions.

“The cost of living is rising,” he says. “More than ever, people are scrutinizing their buying habits for waste and becoming more aware of where they can save money in the long-run. Buying eco-friendly material may cost a little more today, but when you consider how green products withstand the test of time, unlike most conventional material, it becomes obvious that they’re the right choice. People are waking up to that, but it takes time.”

One example of a green product with a longer lifespan is water-recovered plank flooring. Lying at the bottom of Ontario’s rivers is a rich source of timber between 500 and 1,000 years old. Because the deep river-water is oxygen-free, the wood is protected from rotting. Royce, a distributor of the recovered wood, argues that it is superior to conventional sources of timber.

“Why would you cut down trees when there is perfectly good wood at the bottom of our rivers?” He asks. “Using water-recovered wood is, of course, more eco-friendly, but it is also more functional. The wood is denser, stronger and more durable. It’s true that it’s not necessarily cheaper than knocking down a few trees, but when you factor in its longer life-span, water-recovered wood is the economically smarter choice.”

Despite Royce’s conviction, consumers still remain hesitant to fully embrace green-friendly products. He does, however, see a gradual shift towards green that he believes will continue to gain momentum.

“People, at large, are not properly informed about the benefits of choosing eco-friendly material,” he says. “But it’s getting better. I’ve found that just in the past few years, more and more people are waking up to the fact that many health problems are related to the archaic building materials that many people are surrounded with on a daily basis. When you explain to people the kinds of toxins and chemicals that are found in their paints, finishes and insulations, not to mention the destructive impact those products have on the environment, they listen. And they tell other people. Word of mouth is extremely important.” 

For more information about the company, visit the Eco Building website at www.eco-building.ca.

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