A new version of the Green Guide is now available online giving designers and specifiers guidance on how to make better environmental choices when selecting construction materials and components.
The Green Guide assesses building materials and components in terms of their environmental impact across their entire life cycle. The guide examines the environmental impacts of construction materials used in six different types of building including commercial, educational, healthcare, retail, residential and industrial.

The new A+ to E rankings in the guide are based on life cycle assessment (LCA) studies.

The environmental issues included reflect areas of concern related to the production of building materials used in the UK and were arrived at through an industry consultation. These issues include climate change, water extraction, human toxicity, nuclear waste, ecotoxicity to land and waste disposal.

As with previous versions, summary Green Guide ratings count towards credits in BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes.

'Putting the Green Guide online is a huge improvement' said Martin Townsend, director of BREEAM at BRE Global.

'The Green Guide gives manufacturers the opportunity to examine their environmental credentials and through our related environmental profiles certification programme, demonstrate their own independently verified environmental performance.'

The guide is available at www.thegreenguide.org.uk