Metroflor Corporation announced that its own Arthur Clarke III, environmental and compliance manager, has been appointed a member of the newly created Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) Harmonization Initiative Technical Sub Group (TSG) — the next step in a multi-year effort of sustainability leaders to harmonize reporting of product content and associated health information related to building products. The goal of the Initiative is to remove ease-of-use, cost and complexity barriers to advancing the widespread use of Material Health reporting in the construction industry. The Harmonization Technical Sub Group members were appointed by the HPDC Technical Committee, following an open industry call for applicants.
The members of the HPDC Harmonization TSG are:
Jennifer Atlee, Prosoco; Catherine Bobenhausen, Vidaris, Inc.; Arthur Clarke III, Metroflor Corporation; Wim Denecker, Modulyss; Stacy Glass, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute; Nancy Hulsey, HKS, Inc.; Casey Johnson, Forbo Flooring Systems; Monica Miller, ThyssenKrupp Elevator; Alexandra Muller, International Living Future Institute; Priya Premchandran, Google; Michelle Turner, Clean Production Action; and Denise Van Valkenburg, Herman Miller.
“We are delighted that the harmonization work initiated several years ago is now positioned to continue under the leadership of this newly formed Technical Sub Group,” said Wendy Vittori, executive director of HPDC. “Having new members representing both users and manufacturers ensures we have a diverse set of viewpoints as we consider the next steps in implementing the harmonization of reporting methods. The benefits to the industry in streamlining the all-important data collection phase of this work are substantial.”
“It’s quite an honor to be working with such an esteemed and well-tenured group,” Metroflor’s Clarke said. “It will be a collective effort among all members to determine how to best work towards the goal of harmonizing reporting methods related to product content and health information.”
Rochelle Routman, chief sustainability officer for Metroflor, noted Clarke will be among the upper echelon of the environmental movement in the Harmonization TSG. “These knowledgeable people are the ones we should be having philosophical discussions with regarding sustainability and particularly transparency,” she said.
The Health Product Declaration Collaborative is a not-for-profit, customer-led, member organization committed to the continuous improvement of the building industry’s environmental and health performance through transparency and innovation. The HPDC created, supports and advances the HPD Open Standard, a format that enables accurate, reliable and consistent reporting of building product content and associated health information. The HPD Open Standard is freely available to all at www.hpd-collaborative.org.
