How Firstplanit evaluates the monetary performance of a product
Firstplanit provides data analysis to enhance the sustainability of building projects. Among its features are product scores that evaluate the potential sustainability of construction materials based on their Environmental, Social, Health, and Monetary (ESHM) impacts. At Firstplanit, we assess 18 unique impact attributes that correspond to one or more ESHM benefits. The Product Scores’ value is calculated based on the product performance on the relevant impact attributes.
This series of articles will delve into the definition and evaluation of each attribute and the specific environmental, social, health, and monetary impacts they align with. This article will concentrate on the monetary impact; 7 of the 18 attributes influence the monetary score of the product.
The Monetary Score reflects the financial impact of choosing this product. This includes reducing the initial costs of products, operational costs, maintenance and replacement costs, and adding value to your property.
- Products that are resistant to weathering and degradation reduce maintenance and replacement costs.
- End-of-life plans reduce disposal costs and can offer financial incentives from manufacturers.
- Reclaimed materials are either free or significantly cheaper, because the product has no associated manufacturing or material cost.
- Versatile products reduce overall material costs, as they can be repurposed for other projects and applications, and the scrap/excess material can be used.
- Products that are effective at resisting heat transfer reduce the operational costs associated with heating and cooling a building.
- Products made locally can be price competitive due to reduced import and transportation fees. The consumption of these products also benefits the local economy causing long term benefits to the user.
- As well as reducing potential fire damage costs, fire-resistant materials also add value to your property over time.
Locally made
Definition: Products extracted or manufactured using resources available within a defined distance from the project site are considered locally made.
The location of manufacturing units matters as some manufacturers could be distributing in the region but manufacturing far away in another country, this does not qualify as locally made.
Cut-off Criteria: The manufacturer declares that the product is made within the project’s country of origin.
Reclaimed
Definition: Products that have been previously used in buildings, temporary works , or other projects are then either slightly altered, re-sized, refinished, or adapted to be used again are considered reclaimed.
(Not recycled or reprocessed in any way.)
Cut-off Criteria: Manufacturer claim or evidence that the product is a second-hand product – it has not undergone any major alterations in order for it to be reused.
End of life plan
Definition: The product’s manufacturer has a plan for the material at the end of the product’s first use. This could be a take-back policy or collaborative programs with the local government or 3rd parties to ensure the collection of discarded products for recycling, refurbishment. Note that recyclability is not an end-of-life plan, but a plan in place to collect and send the product for recycling is an end-of-life plan.
Cut-off Criteria: The manufacturer independently or collaboratively has:
(a) laid out a plan for responsible reuse or recycling of the material at the end of life and shared it with the user and
(b) made provisions for collecting products at the end of their life, followed by, recycling or refurbishment, declaring how much and what is done.
Durable
Definition: Products that can withstand and resist degradation without requiring excessive cleaning and maintenance are considered Durable. Degradation is caused by wreathing actions (moisture, temperature variations, radiation, etc.), chemical attacks (corrosion, carbonation, etc.), fire, insects, abrasion, or staining. Product durability is assessed by the number of years suggested for their intended use in the warranty or declaration of manufacturing standards and tests.
Cut-off Criteria: The value for the cut-off criteria varies for each material. You can access the full list by clicking the information for durable on the product evaluation page.
Versatile
Definition: Products that can be installed in many parts of a building, serve many purposes, are designed in a modular fashion, and maintain their properties when cut down are considered versatile. This includes materials, components and systems which are simple to install and can be uninstalled without causing significant damage to the supporting structure or the material itself. Versatility allows repurposing of disposed product or the reusability of its offcuts to reduce waste when installed.
Cut-off Criteria: A Product that fulfils 3 out of 5 properties :
(a) Can be installed in many parts of a building,serves many purposes.
(b) Is designed in modules
(c) Easy to install and/or uninstall without causing significant damage to the supporting structure or the material itself.
(d) Can be repurposed easily at the end of their life.
(e) Maintain its properties when cut down.
Thermal barrier
Definition: Products that resist heat transfer with a high R-value (inverse of the thermal conductivity or U-value) are considered a thermal barrier. The higher the R-value, the more effective it is as an insulator. A product must resist air transmission, heat loss, and heat gain between the inside and outside environment to assist with comfortable temperature indoors at low energy consumption.
Cut-off Criteria: Different products will declare different values like thermal conductivity, R-value or U value. Established formulas translate one into another for a like-for-like comparison of Thermal Conductivity.
Fire resistance
Definition: Products that can do one or more of the following in case of fire are considered fire resistant:
A) Resist collapse (load-bearing capacity), which applies to load-bearing elements only, denoted R in the European classification of the resistance to fire performance.
B) Resist fire penetration (integrity), denoted E in the European classification of the resistance to fire performance.
C) Resist the transfer of excessive heat (insulation), denoted in the European classification of the resistance to fire performance.
Cut-off Criteria: Euroclass B for all building materials.
Euroclass C for fabrics and fabric-like materials.
Product scores are intended to give a holistic understanding of complex interrelated sustainability impacts for each material on our database. These scores are available from the product evaluation page. To learn how to navigate and interpret this feature check out our how to guide for this feature.